Decisions to make in 2019

By Medicine Hat News Opinon on December 28, 2018.

You may have had your fill of politics but get ready for more, a lot more, in 2019.

Not only will there be a provincial election within a matter of months, there will be a federal election in October as well.

National year-end stories have focused on a healthy economy and lower unemployment rates.

The average Albertan probably sees that a little differently. Unfortunately we don’t have sufficient Liberal MPs to see decisions being made in our favour by the federal government in an election year.

Whether investors will be lured to Canada because of federal government incentives remains to be seen. In Alberta there is a sense that regulations are to onerous, deterring investors, in particular in the oil and gas industry.

Alberta wants and needs federal government leadership in getting a pipeline built and the purchase of railcars to get our oil to market.

For the average person, as we start this momentous year, there are extra expenses creeping in at all levels.

These are introduced as being extremely low when considered “annually.” We’ve heard it referred to as the cost of a cup of coffee a day — hardly anything, right? The trouble is it seems everyone is doing that and the accumulation of extra fees and taxes suddenly is the price of dinner out every day.

There is a Canadian Pension Plan increase of about $98 a year in 2018 and with yearly increments will be $550 a year when fully implemented over five years, according to the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.

Now add the provincial carbon tax, the increase in local property tax, the additional money to councillors to compensate them for a federal tax break they will no longer get, the continued increases in utility fees that you have no control over, the expected increase in the cost of food and it all feels rather daunting.

The prime minister has been justifiably proud of creating more than 700,000 jobs and there being a low unemployment rate.

The trouble is Albertans are not seeing those delights and Justin Trudeau has so far provided very little light at the end of the tunnel for Alberta.

A press release on Thursday from the provincial government puts a positive spin on the state of Alberta though.

“In 2018, we saw the recovery in Alberta’s economy become more entrenched. Jobs are up and the deficit has dropped. While we have seen our fair share of challenges, our government remains on track to balance the budget as planned in 2023. We will continue to act on behalf of Albertans to ensure our economy remains strong,” states Joe Ceci, minister of finance.

Credit is given to the Alberta Investor Tax Credit program for helping to create a diversified economy, encouraging investment in non-traditional sectors and for helping to create jobs.

“More than $28 million in tax credits have been approved to date, supporting more than 200 businesses and $94 million in investments,” reads the press release.

One of the potential downfalls of this is that when a business is only worth starting because of a government grant it may not be sustainable without continued government handouts.

The Fraser Institute is asking for politicians to reduce the hype and positive spins in favour of truth and accuracy.

That would be a refreshing change but with provincial and federal elections looming on the horizon we are unlikely to see any of that, in fact it will probably get worse.

(Gillian Slade is a News reporter. To comment on this and other editorials, go to https://www.medicinehatnews.com/opinions, email her at gslade@medicinehatnews.com or call her at 403-528-8635.)

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