# Recommendations for Ontario's fiscal restraint



## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Don't know how many listened to news yesterday about the "report" by Don
Drummund (former bank economist) that because of the current weak economy
and spending that is not curtailed, Ontario is heading for a 300 billion shortfall
instead of balancing the budget in the next 5 years.

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/...m-reaper-punctures-ontario-s-fiscal-fantasies

He made around 300 suggestions/recommendations for the finance minister to
consider.
The ones that stood out...
-cut the drug benefit to seniors,
-reduce number of teachers/increase class size
- possibly close some hospitals.cut down the number of beds
send the old/ infirm ito chronic care facilities instead
-raise the sin taxes
- delay corporate tax cuts
- raise the rates on electricity (and the cash cow..the Provincial debt reduction)
-add another tax on gasoline/home heating oil
and much more drastic changes where the government has to cut
services and dig deeper into consumers pockets.

don't know if he stated the obvious...tax the big lottery winners above a certain level..if you win more than
a million, why not pay some tax on it?


----------



## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

You pay the stupid tax when you buy the ticket, no sense in taxing twice!


----------



## jamesbe (May 8, 2010)

Nice, tax heating fuel. I already pay 13% tax on heating fuel I NEED to heat my home. I heat to a balmy 17 degrees. If we lived in florida I wouldn't care. But that's just silly -- I have no alternative to my heating fuel due to location and propane is NOT cheap.


----------



## HaroldCrump (Jun 10, 2009)

There is already a full blown thread on the Drummond report started by Daniel A. under the General Finance section.
Can we merge this with that one?


----------



## m3s (Apr 3, 2010)

Doesn't Ontario have some of the lowest income taxes in Canada? Your insurance rates are definitely sky high but that's apparently because of some people rolling backwards on the 401

I would charge a fee for people who abused the outpatients to start (considering most basic sickness are solved by a pharmacist). Maybe if you asked nicely, the Québecois would divert some of their cheap hydro from New England? Increase the price to see the Falls? Probably too late to save your manufacturing sector from the unions? Stop importing food you can grow yourselves? Maybe show Jim what a smartphone can really do? Or just raise the taxes


----------



## Cal (Jun 17, 2009)

Wait, I didn't see gov't employee salary freeze on the list....


----------



## Beaver101 (Nov 14, 2011)

Hardly surprising... shouldn't the Drummond's report should start with cutting down on the Ontario's "Sunshine List" if there is any use of it.


----------

