To the Editor,
Spring is sprung and the smell of election is in the air. The province’s dependence on resource revenue and fall of the price of oil has led to much discussion as to the state of Alberta’s finances.
The premier has stated repeatedly that everything is on the table. Why then are raising corporate taxes or making changes to the royalty regime not in the conversation?
In my opinion, this province has not recovered from the harm done by the last round of “necessary cuts and efficiencies” and is ill prepared for more. Despite their claims to the contrary, this government does not have a spending problem.
It would appear that if you tell the lies often enough, they become facts.
When you account for our higher inflation rate, phenomenal population growth and public spending relative to the size of our economy, it becomes very clear that our fiscal problem is not one of expenditure: it is a revenue problem.
I would invite all Alberta to stop drinking the blue and orange Kool-Aid and become informed before we go from bad to even worse. The Parkland Institute has done excellent, thoughtful research on our fiscal problems and offered good solutions: visit www.parklandinstitute.ca.
Dr. Amil Shapka,
St. Paul
