Barnes says balanced budget key

Getting back to a balanced provincial budget is key for the UCP if elected to form the next government, said Drew Barnes, UCP MLA for Cypress-Medicine Hat at the first stop of his Let’s Talk Finance tour.

A balanced budget had been the norm until the PC government under Redford introduced the concept of borrowing to build schools and hospitals, said Barnes.

The provincial debt of $47 billion today is expected to be $100 billion in four years and Alberta is paying about $140 million a month in interest on that debt, said Barnes.

Achieving a balanced budget rapidly is not going to mean massive cuts, he explained.

“Our commitment is to keep front-line services as they are,” said Barnes as discussion with those attending turned to services such as the supervised consumption site and what that is going to cost.

“When are we going to do something about drug dealers,” asked someone in the audience.

Barnes agreed that stiffer penalties need to be in place.

The loss of private sector jobs, and any new jobs mainly in the public sector, was raised as an issue. There is a need to stimulate the economy and create a better market for small business to thrive, said Barnes.

The UCP has long promised that if elected to form the next government, one of its first tasks will be the abolishing of the carbon tax and its estimated $1.4 billion in revenue.

“Albertans know it is wrong to tax a necessity,” said Barnes.

Carbon tax has affected the cost of transport on every level and the trickle down effect is price increases at grocery stores, he claimed.

Barnes questioned whether establishing the carbon tax has done anything positive for Alberta and whether it has improved standing on the world stage.

He claims the increase in corporate tax has made Alberta less attractive for business and has not resulted more government revenue.

“We have collected less tax, $11 billion was forecasted and we collected $10.7 billion,” said Barnes.

The Let’s Talk Finance tour was off to Lethbridge on Tuesday afternoon with eight stops in total.

NEWS PHOTO GILLIAN SLADE Drew Barnes, finance critic for the United Conservative Party and MLA for Cypress-Medicine Hat, addresses a gathering at Whiskey Creek Pub on Tuesday morning. It was the first stop of a tour — Let’s Talk Finance — to consult with Albertans on the state of Alberta’s economy.