The Canadian Taxpayers Federation applauds tax cuts and freezes, but not higher spending that will just lead Saskatchewan to more deficits and debt.
More money does not mean less problems.
That’s great news for taxpayers. It would mean that less money will be taken out of our pockets and sent to Regina.
Now, the NDP hasn’t yet released its balanced budget plan, but at this point it looks like they’re going to have some tough math equations to solve.
And this isn’t out of the ordinary for politicians. They tend to promise a lot and then make excuses on why they can’t deliver on those promises once in office.
Take the Manitoba NDP who were elected in 2023. Its platform promised a $287-million deficit this year, not the almost $800 million deficit that it handed taxpayers. And, of course, they blamed it on the outgoing government.
Saskatchewan’s current finance minister puts it well.
“You simply cannot cut taxes, increase spending and not borrow simultaneously,” said Finance Minister Donna Harpauer when asked about the NDP’s plan to cut the gas tax.
That’s a less than stellar fiscal performance, but it could be a lot worse.
That alone means that the current budget’s projected surpluses for the next three years would now be awash with red ink.
Premier Scott Moe and the current government also need to take some blame here. Harpauer said the government didn’t balance the budget this year, despite promising to, because other members of the legislature were pushing for large spending increases.
Saskatchewan needs a government that can actually balance the budget, not just come up with excuses for why it didn’t after the fact. Current deficits mean future tax hikes and no one knows that better than the Saskatchewan NDP.
After years of deficit spending in the 1980s, Saskatchewan had the highest debt levels in the country and was in danger of going bankrupt. Former premier Roy Romanow cut spending and hiked the gas tax, provincial sales tax and business taxes to deal with the situation.
All politicians are tempted to use taxpayers’ money to fix problems from education to health care, but that temptation ignores a key point. The Saskatchewan government already spends more per capita than any other province in Western Canada.
Alberta is spending much less per person than Saskatchewan, but regularly beats or ties Saskatchewan in both health-care wait times and student performance.
Both the NDP and the current government need to come up with a solution that isn’t just throwing more money at the problem, because it’s clear that hasn’t been working.
Looking at it this way has two major benefits — taxpayers won’t be left with a huge bill because of government overspending and patients and students might get a solution that works instead of the status quo.
Both parties looking to govern Saskatchewan need a plan that actually helps taxpayers, not just a bigger cheque that will drive the provincial deficit and debt higher.
Gage Haubrich is the prairie director for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.
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