‘Nearly each authorities goes on a spending spree as an election marketing campaign approaches,’ says reporter Bob Bruton
Don’t get me improper, I’ll take the $200 cheque from Ontario’s authorities early subsequent 12 months and deposit it in my checking account.
It looks like a carrot, sure, if the Progressive Conservatives plan to carry a provincial election subsequent spring, one full 12 months earlier than they should ship us to the polls.
Those that sit on political fences can typically be influenced.
It’s additionally (partly) my cash anyway, whether or not Premier Doug Ford took it out of the provincial gross sales tax I pay dutifully yearly or he borrowed it from the banks, on behalf of the Ontario authorities.
So I do know what the $200 cheque is and I’ll nonetheless take it.
That’s as a result of $200 isn’t sufficient to safe my vote, regardless of which political celebration has put the cheque within the mail (if Canada Submit staff aren’t on strike).
There are a number of causes for this stance.
One is actually that it’s higher the $3 billion be within the arms of Ontario residents than the Ontario authorities. As a result of politicians, typically, spend like drunken sailors — to not slight sailors, as a few of my greatest associates are sailors.
It’s not their cash and politicians aren’t significantly involved about how or the place they spend it.
Ford and firm, in line with their just-released fall financial assertion, are going to run a $6.6-billion deficit this 12 months.
A full $3 billion of that whole is the $200 “rebate.”
To be honest, this authorities is forecasting a $1.5-billion deficit subsequent 12 months, then a surplus of $900 million in 2026-27.
However this isn’t about balanced or unbalanced budgets.
Most, however not all, politicians have two questions they ask themselves: How do I get elected, how do I keep elected?
All the pieces else they do are means to those ends.
Ontario’s Conservatives should not the primary authorities to seemingly try and affect the citizens with their very own cash. Actually, nearly each authorities goes on a spending spree as an election marketing campaign approaches.
I can’t offer you any examples as a result of I can’t keep in mind them, as a result of they didn’t have any speedy impact on my backside line.
And governments have a behavior of constructing guarantees which prolong manner past the timeline of their mandate.
Ford, for instance, with his plan to construct 1.5 million new houses by 2031. That’s greater than six years from now. And no one will get six-year phrases of workplace, if I’m counting my fingers appropriately.
However it’s important to give Ford a little bit credit score together with his “rebate” cheques, which will probably be mailed in early 2025 to all grownup Ontarians who’ve filed their 2023 revenue tax returns (test mark!) and who should not bankrupt (test!) or incarcerated in 2024 (test once more!).
Households may also get $200 per youngster beneath the age of 18.
So the monetary favour is fairly common. Virtually everybody will get it. I’ll give Ford that.
And I’ll take mine as a result of, as I stated, it’s my cash anyway.
Good of the province to present me a little bit again.
Bob Bruton covers metropolis corridor for BarrieToday and tries to not look a present horse within the mouth, even one posing as a favour.
