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本帖最后由 爱城闲人 于 2014-12-9 20:36 编辑 . d1 J! `% |4 e
( T5 J: `' c' v2 _1 ~( m+ sPremier Says Low Oil Prices Could Leave Hole in Provincial Budget2 }2 W' l( `6 _& b+ h9 q- u1 [
Tuesday, December 09, 2014 - Economy, Infrastructure, Oil7 v N e* @$ s3 v2 j8 P5 s( n# I: x
$ @ D4 f8 R) W$ d: d1 ~3 GThe price of oil hovered around $63 US/barrel Tuesday after one of its worst days in years Tuesday.
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2 L6 c/ ]* Z+ v/ [+ c* W/ ]And Premier Jim Prentice says low prices could leave a $7 billion hole in the province’s budget.% F3 l/ k7 k M5 c
/ [" [6 f, k( u8 KPrentice gave his “State of the Province” speech to the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce Tuesday.7 J0 V7 r @6 T$ C* r, m. A) _
' E1 r, m3 q c' q! U7 K* ^( bTwo weeks ago, the Premier said the government expected oil prices to end the year between $65 US/barrel and $75 US/barrel. At that time he said low prices would have “consequences for all Albertans.”9 h) F, \3 Z$ [' ], K6 [# V7 d; K
4 G1 [1 a& R/ b# ?Now, with prices lower than $65 US/barrel, Prentice says low prices could leave a $6-$7 billion hole in Alberta’s $40 billion budget.4 {7 D/ m' b4 Z
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Prentice says the government will have to reduce spending if low prices are sustained. He says across-the-board cuts in spending won’t happen, instead Prentice says his government will focus on core services and limit spending below the rate of growth, plus inflation.
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“It is incumbent on us to adjust our expectations and adjust our spending to begin to mitigate these risks for the long-term. And the solution cannot be to simply wait for the next upswing in prices,” he says.
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Tuesday’s comments come days after a Morgan Stanley report said crude oil prices could drop to $43 US/barrel in 2015 before rebounding." P, s! K0 e9 ^7 l, T$ I
8 u4 v) |! d+ B/ {Last year’s provincial budget was based on a forecasted price of $95 US/barrel.
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Prentice says future budgets will rely on much more conservative price estimates.( C! \/ r7 Q, p$ m- J5 c8 h' u2 b
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“In the long-term, a budget that is tied to to volatile energy prices year-in, year-out represents a significant risk.”& U" n* Q# T6 i9 Z+ V$ w, Q
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Prentice also says the government is not considering a provincial sales tax to cover possible shortfalls from low oil prices.5 l6 S9 n6 r, j# }: O9 q+ P) @' q
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楼主: 辽宁好汉
狗仔卡
发表于 2014-12-9 15:59
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