Today was budget day in the socialist province of Quebec

Today was a budget day in my socialist province of Quebec. Here are the highlights . This is so unfair for the poors and middle class.......

QUEBEC — Highlights of the 2010-11 Quebec budget presented Tuesday by Finance Minister Raymond Bachand:

-An increase of one percentage point in the provincial sales tax to 9.5 per cent on Jan. 1, 2012; the rate is climbing to 8.5 per cent from 7.5 per cent on Jan. 1, 2011, under a measure announced in last year's budget.

-A hike of one cent a litre in the fuel tax as of April 1,(tomorrow) and similar annual increases for three years after that.

-A jump in postsecondary tuition fees, currently the lowest in the country.

-A two-year pay freeze for the premier, cabinet ministers and members of the legislature.

-A projected deficit of $4.5 billion on revenues of $64.5 billion. The province expects to post two more deficits before returning to a balanced budget in 2013-14.

-An annual increase of 3.7 per cent in the price of electricity for all Quebec consumers, beginning in 2014-15, with the exception of large industrial customers. The move is expected to generate $1.6 billion a year, money that will be used to pay down the province's galloping debt. The hikes are in addition to regular rate increases requested by Hydro-Quebec over the coming years.

-Gross debt expected to be $160.1 billion on March 31, 2010. That is equivalent to 53.2 per cent of gross domestic product, making Quebec the most heavily indebted province in Canada.

We are getting real mad around here......

reply to post by St-Patrick


We are also getting mad ... but what can we do ?

Our parliamentary democracy has no mechanism where we can show the governement it is enought, sort of a revolution. Once the Liberals have the majority they are there for 3-5 years ... whatever they do or don't do.

We should find ways to get more money. One of Quebec's greatest accomplishment (IMHO) is Hydro-Quebec, who gives the governement 3 billion each year. So do the same thing with the mines, the forest and our water. American companies are making huge profit by exploiting our ressources and usualy leaves before the mess is cleaned.

So my solution, tax those ressources or nationalise them. We didi it with Hydro-Quebec and we can do it for other ressources.

Chop in the bureaucracy, slack a few pencil pushers from the governement.

Have every body work ... cut welfare after a year if you don't want to find a job.

There are plenty of way the government can make money without taking it from our pocket. But we would need someone in power who has more vision than that spineless Charest and his friends.

We need to organise a massive protest campaign, one radio station in Quebec city tried it yeasterday with limited results. What do we have to do ? A massive Quebec-wide strike ? stop paying your taxes, your licence ?

[edit on 31-3-2010 by grandnic]

Originally posted by grandnic
Our parliamentary democracy has no mechanism where we can show the governement it is enought, sort of a revolution. Once the Liberals have the majority they are there for 3-5 years ... whatever they do or don't do.

You get a vote. Use it. Stop whining If you don't like what you get then it is your fault.

Regards

reply to post by paraphi


I've voted in every election since 1997 when I got voting age. Only two years short of our last referendum when we had the choice to stay in Canada or to form our own country. I have been an activist since childhood for the former. Had the canadian government not broken it's own laws and rules we would have won (by a very slim margin) and would have had more leverage to negociate with the rest of Canada.

But we lost (by a very slim margin) so we are stuck with that old relic of colonial time that is the parliemantary monarchy that Canada is using. Quebec and Canada are ready for a new political system that would be more democratic, with a good checks and balance and with good ideas and region representation.

Back on topic ... the feedback here in Quebec city is very bad about this budjet. Full of taxes for the average citizen, almost none for the big bussinnesses, uniform heath taxes (not unlike Thatcher's poll taxes of the 80's) and many more. People here are outraged but feel they are powerless to do anything. I just hope that in two or three years we won't vote for the Liberals again.

Cheers