For Immediate Release
March 31, 2009

Budget speech and the actual budget -- two different things

Queen’s Park – Finance Minister Dwight Duncan seemed bewildered following a lesson from MPP Toby Barrett on the difference between the budget speech and the actual budget itself.

“Much of Ontario’s manufacturing, processing, forestry, farming, fishing and mining have been devastated of late,” Barrett told Minister Duncan. “Your budget speech announced a 16.7 per cent tax cut for manufacturing and processing, but it’s not in the budget. Our farming, automotive and US Steel sectors and the jobs they support needed this tax cut yesterday. The new fiscal year starts tomorrow, but your tax cut is not there.”

Minister Duncan responded to the member from Haldimand-Norfolk by saying that the 2009 budget balances the interests of all parts of Ontario.

“Well, I’ll repeat: Those touted tax cuts are not in the budget,” Barrett demanded. “…in your budget speech you indicated small businesses are the backbone of the economy. Your speech announced a tax cut for small business and a general corporate income tax cut as well. However, you didn’t put [the business cuts] in the budget. They are not in the 2009 budget. I’m getting calls from small businesses. Why would you mislead business?”

Following question period, Barrett said it is shameful that the government cannot fully explain what’s contained in the budget document as opposed to what was said in the budget speech. Barrett feels the tax cuts and other measures are scheduled for summer 2010 with hopes the economy will be in better shape at that time.

“That does little for those who are being kicked to the unemployment lines each day,” Barrett said.

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