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本帖最后由 爱城闲人 于 2014-12-9 20:36 编辑 3 Y% d- o. i$ s4 D/ P2 P( z
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Premier Says Low Oil Prices Could Leave Hole in Provincial Budget
$ k# z) c& c) n7 r( [. |8 b/ hTuesday, December 09, 2014 - Economy, Infrastructure, Oil
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The price of oil hovered around $63 US/barrel Tuesday after one of its worst days in years Tuesday.% X) L* u# m+ u3 { s3 a6 x6 S7 @
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And Premier Jim Prentice says low prices could leave a $7 billion hole in the province’s budget.6 o1 }% \ J) o( y7 s, x( P
2 d4 _5 K' u2 | R2 V4 _Prentice gave his “State of the Province” speech to the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce Tuesday.8 q* t B* [; i5 ` I) ?
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Two weeks ago, the Premier said the government expected oil prices to end the year between $65 US/barrel and $75 US/barrel. At that time he said low prices would have “consequences for all Albertans.”
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% X& j$ `% F' F' q7 s, W5 \1 [2 ?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.
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7 Z, D. E' m% q* @. nPrentice 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.
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Last year’s provincial budget was based on a forecasted price of $95 US/barrel.- F i5 g5 o) X+ N
+ M' [7 D; L+ X+ o& t- B* bPrentice says future budgets will rely on much more conservative price estimates.
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( D8 u5 u6 N- J3 l% E“In the long-term, a budget that is tied to to volatile energy prices year-in, year-out represents a significant risk.”
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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 Q m0 i& v# O( d' `
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楼主: 辽宁好汉
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发表于 2014-12-9 15:59
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