Provincial spending out of controlBy: | Posted: Wednesday, Jan 09, 2013 06:00 am Re: Craig Walker’s recommendation to government on increasing taxes (Gazette, Dec. 29). I read this letter with disbelief, especially the idea to introduce a temporary provincial sales tax until the budget is balanced. Craig, when writing your recommendation, did you take into account that the level of spending in Alberta is out of control? To keep this letter short, please consider just this one set of data (all sources Government of Alberta) before making any more public recommendations to collect and spend more. The population of Alberta in 1997 was 2.695 million. In 2012 it was 3.858 million, an increase of 43 per cent in 15 years. During the same period, Alberta's budget has grown from $12.5 billion (1997) to $41.1 billion (2012) (unadjusted for inflation) – an increase of 330%. Am I the only one thinking there is something wrong with this? It’s time Alberta put the brakes on spending. Otherwise, 30 years from now, the future for Albertans may be anything but pretty. Today's newborns could face a future like those in Spain where unemployment for those under 25 is now 48 per cent. Today's 40-year-old Albertans could age like those in Greece where government is curtailing and defaulting on pension obligations. Robert Fernandez, St. Albert Comments
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