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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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* s' M5 \* }% H7 [# }Premier Says Low Oil Prices Could Leave Hole in Provincial Budget
; B6 A# g$ @4 C$ }Tuesday, December 09, 2014 - Economy, Infrastructure, Oil* P8 s/ w4 V; T+ a% x5 Z0 L& f
4 F- F& x! ?- [% w) J1 L/ \The price of oil hovered around $63 US/barrel Tuesday after one of its worst days in years Tuesday.3 W# }- H g% ?( Q
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And Premier Jim Prentice says low prices could leave a $7 billion hole in the province’s budget.
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Prentice 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 $75 US/barrel. At that time he said low prices would have “consequences for all Albertans.”$ E1 q7 V0 v1 J- C4 C
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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.) M7 v2 d; W5 Q8 R; l# q
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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.' g+ O3 ? R9 T1 Y: e9 E
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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.6 I7 Y3 A+ e% m* ~2 q
( ?4 [" K& R1 L2 F6 N% r: jTuesday’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 $95 US/barrel.2 k& F9 m* H7 c, w& W& {
& C$ M3 \3 `* w2 \9 X! xPrentice says future budgets will rely on much more conservative price estimates.3 R4 a# |& w& A E0 @5 G
6 v7 w& h" U& Z5 ~6 i5 d“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.3 ]9 F: A( b4 B" p
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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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