$400!

[cowman]

Well Ralph has decided he's going to pass out $400 to every man, woman and child in the province this year! Another bone headed decision in my opinion.
He isn't going to charge any provincial tax on it but the feds are silent so far? DO you think they will tax or not tax?
I really wonder what Ralphs game is here? It obviously isn't about getting re-elected as he intends to quit and right now I doubt any party stands a chance of even making a small dent in the PC party?
Maybe he knows Martin is coming to **** Alberta next year and he's trying to get the people to wake up? After all most people don't have a clue how much money gets ripped off from Alberta now...if it comes out of their own pocket...maybe they will finally get it?
Ralph is passing out $1.4 billion in this little gift....Quebec says it needs another $2 billion in transfer payments??? The only place that $2 billion can come from is the oil and gas sector?
So how about next year, when the feds rip off an additional $2 billion? There goes next years dividend check! Ralph can say "well we could have given you another $400 but unfortunately the frenchmen and others unfortunates down east needed it more than you, so be happy...we're all in this together building this wonderful nation!"
Now do you think finally the great unwashed masses in Alberta might finally get it? The single mother on welfare, the working stiff, the small businessman, the farmers? Do you think the young family might resent their $1600 going east so the real "canadians" can live a life of leasure and keep electing their welfare governments?
Not much incentive to get a business like government in place when their biggest income comes from federal transfer payments? No different than being on welfare...where is the incentive to go to work?

[cowman]

Cowman, I wonder just how much of the $400 will be spent for necessities ???? Yesterday there was a lineup outside a federal building in Calgary with people ASKING for their $400.00, so none of them had paid any attention to what government was giving it to them.
I think that the money could have been much better spent in infrastructure of some kind, or lowering the health care premiums etc. I for one would like to see my taxes lowered period !!!!!

[cropduster]

Em,maybe there is an irony in that those people were lined up outside a FED building...I`m thinking there should be four hundred collars, at least, coming to Albertans from the feds!!!!

[cropduster]

cropduster, the feds will look to Alberta but not to give us anything, just to take more and more and more !

[farmers_son]

Yesterday I was surveyed by Ipso-Reid on this very issue. They gave me two choices: did I think the government should pay us the $400 or use it for infrastructure and building up the province.

I said the government should keep the money. That is not to say that I could not have used the money because I could. And I believe the best place for a dollar is in the hands of the person who earned it not the government. But our taxes are reasonable in this province, especially with no sales tax. I think what people of this province want the government to do with the oil money is to diversify the economy so we can continue to enjoy the benefits of our oil bounty when the oil is gone. I frankly do not see the economy diversifying all that much, it is more and more centered around the oil/gas industry.

I think any criticisms that the province lacks a vision of where we needs to be in 25 years are well founded. We are talking about $1.3 billion dollars which could have made an impact.

[FarmRanger]

I agree f_s. Diversification is key to our longterm prosperity. The worst thing is that other industries have to compete with oil/gas for people right now. Its difficult to pay as much as an oil company for the few people available for work in Alberta.

[FarmRanger]

I see municipalities both rural and urban doing all sorts of things to try and diversifiy their economy, but it all boils down to whether or not they have the infrastructure in place to accommodate new industry and people. The province has been handing out money for centennial projects all over the place but most of what is being built by municipal centres will need ongoing maintenance and those costs will come from the local tax base.
We do need a clear cut vision for the province on matters such as funding projects, and a lot of it seems to be with ad hoc programs and incentives at this time. The province needs to do more than have a think tank to decide how to spend and invest the oil revenue particularly if we are going to see the huge windfalls continue.
There is a huge void of available workers in all areas. For instance, MacDonalds is holding an open house with a free lunch in our local community next week to attract staff. Tim Hortons has a franchise here but has chosen not to go ahead with construction due to staffing issues.

We have a boom going on and we better manage it well, if that means money returned to Albertans it should be on a go forward basis or reduction in health premiums or something that people could count on and budget for.