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本帖最后由 爱城闲人 于 2014-12-9 20:36 编辑
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6 L8 Q' ?& e& \* cPremier Says Low Oil Prices Could Leave Hole in Provincial Budget
2 T7 i5 a& z+ m9 A4 g1 a1 g+ `Tuesday, December 09, 2014 - Economy, Infrastructure, Oil
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4 l% H( m1 c1 O1 e. O8 \: PThe price of oil hovered around $63 US/barrel Tuesday after one of its worst days in years Tuesday.
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And Premier Jim Prentice says low prices could leave a $7 billion hole in the province’s budget.2 T( j* t/ e8 [ K1 f( j1 g
5 R0 E1 y2 U- O7 [5 ^0 m! q, vPrentice gave his “State of the Province” speech to the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce Tuesday.
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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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8 u" j; ^, t# A" y# ~# o" C; Q: UNow, 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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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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5 b( K& t& d' [ xTuesday’s comments come days after a Morgan Stanley report said crude oil prices could drop to $43 US/barrel in 2015 before rebounding.; e0 d; s0 u v1 W% e
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Last year’s provincial budget was based on a forecasted price of $95 US/barrel.2 {% e, N4 o+ p. \1 k; h' \
* @" q7 R7 C) z8 t+ R' MPrentice says future budgets will rely on much more conservative price estimates.& E2 ^! ~- G$ J! O
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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.”
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Prentice also says the government is not considering a provincial sales tax to cover possible shortfalls from low oil prices.
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