FREDERICTON – At a Fredericton-area small business, Progressive Conservative Leader David Alward announced a number of measures a PC government would immediately implement to deal with the fiscal debt of the province and help spur economic growth in the province today.
“We are facing unprecedented deficit levels and unless something is done now, we face an uncertain future with rising debt payments resulting in higher interest rate payments,” said Alward. “I am here today to highlight a few ways a PC government will address reducing the debt that the Shawn Graham government has ballooned over the past four years.”
Immediate measures a PC government would undertake include:
· reducing cabinet size to 15 ministers saving $10 million annually and creating a temporary Government Review Office, led by the Premier, whose mandates is to reduce waste
· targeting a two per cent reduction in wasteful and unnecessary government spending while protecting spending on priority programs in health, education and services to those in need
· holding the line on future years of the Shawn Graham government’s tax reductions to high-income New Brunswickers making an average of $450,000 yearly, which will return more than $120 million over the next four years, money that can be used to strengthen our social programs
· offering public service early retirement initiatives
· and, holding corporate tax rates at 10 per cent and using those savings to cut small business tax rates to stimulate job growth and economic development.
Alward concluded by saying, “new jobs, lower taxes, and less expensive government. That’s what New Brunswickers can expect when they elect me Premier.”
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Tyler Campbell
Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick
(506)262-0032
t.campbell@pcnb.org