The Canadian Federation of Independent Business expressed disappointment in response to the province’s 2015 budget, saying the government failed to follow through on promises made to improve the climate for small business.
“The 2015 budget was the last chance to implement many of the policies promised by the government in the 2011 election,” said Elliot Sims, CFIB’s Manitoba director of provincial affairs. “Entrepreneurs are disappointed to see these promises broken once again and other small business friendly policies ignored.”
In a post-budget release, CFIB said members were disappointed the NDP did not table a balanced budget for 2015, despite once promising to do so.
Instead, the government plans to run a $422 million deficit and said the books won’t be balanced for another three years.
While the government claims an additional 2000 small businesses will be taken off the tax roll this year, CFIB claims the province is one of only two that sets the small business tax threshold at less than $500,000.
According to CFIB, that makes it more difficult for Manitoba small businesses to compete against rivals in other provinces.
CFIB also said the exemption threshold for the Manitoba Payroll Tax hasn’t changed since 2007, which reduces incentives for job creation.
Moments after the budget was tabled, the opposition Conservatives accused the NDP of using it as an opportunity to sway voters in next year’s election.
“Vote-buying budget. If they just held the line on spending, they’d be in surplus this year,” said opposition leader Brian Pallister. “They could have balanced the books but they didn’t. They chose to inflate their spending to a ridiculous degree.”
Manitoba Liberal leader Rana Bokhari, who does not hold a seat in the legislature, discouraged Manitobans from trusting the NDP to follow through on budget initiatives.
She said Manitobans have lost faith in the NDP and in Premier Selinger.
Finance Minister Greg Dewar touted the $1.08 billion in infrastructure spending, calling it a record for the province.
