Budget 2017

Rebuilding Our Economy

Economic growth is central to our ongoing prosperity. Manitobans have told us they want us to focus our efforts on building opportunities and creating a more efficient and effective economy. Our government is focused on ensuring an affordable and competitive environment that increases productivity and encourages economic growth and job creation. Budget 2017 includes provisions for:

• an overall strategic infrastructure investment forecast to reach over $1.7 billion in 2017/18, one of the highest total infrastructure expenditures in Manitoba history. This includes $747 million for roads, highways, bridges and flood protection, $641 million for health, education and housing infrastructure, and $370 million for municipal, local and other provincial infrastructure
• enhancing tourism marketing by reinvesting revenue generated by the tourism sector
• removing regulatory burdens for businesses, non-profits, local government and residents
• reducing red tape for municipalities and third party proponents and movement toward making Manitoba the first province to deliver a truly functional single window model
• a focus on true community partnerships that will enable us to market northern Manitoba as a place to visit, to invest in and to live, and which will engage indigenous communities in economic development
• tax relief, no tax increases and no new taxes; while continuing investment in the services Manitobans depend upon, with a 2.1 per cent increase to core government spending in 2017/18
• indexing personal income tax brackets and the basic personal exemption - changes that will remove more than 2,000 taxpayers from the tax rolls entirely and will save Manitoba taxpayers $23 million this fiscal year and $34 million by 2020
• maintaining the Children's Arts and Cultural Activity Tax Credit, the Fitness Tax Credit, the Adoption Tax Credit, the Fertility Treatment Tax Credit, the Seniors' School Tax Rebate, the Education Property Tax Credit, the Farmland School Tax Rebate and the Manitoba Tuition Fee and Education Amounts
• renewing the Book Publishing Tax Credit, the Manufacturing Investment Tax Credit, the Mineral Exploration Tax Credit and the Interactive Digital Media Tax Credit

Manitobans deserve a better plan, and the path to our future is clear. Budget 2017 is open, transparent and accountable to all Manitobans. It shares the real financial realities that we must manage as a government and it demonstrates our confidence that Manitobans are up to the task of overcoming these shared challenges.

Making necessary adjustments now will allow us to ensure that Manitoba is today, and continues to be tomorrow, a wonderful place to live.