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本帖最后由 爱城闲人 于 2014-12-9 20:36 编辑 1 p( J7 p& j) z6 k
: L3 c2 @9 R, w2 vPremier Says Low Oil Prices Could Leave Hole in Provincial Budget1 N N4 P+ i2 N7 {3 u
Tuesday, December 09, 2014 - Economy, Infrastructure, Oil1 J2 F) N! i3 f
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The price of oil hovered around $63 US/barrel Tuesday after one of its worst days in years Tuesday.8 z: p9 C( @+ l% {% U
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And Premier Jim Prentice says low prices could leave a $7 billion hole in the province’s budget.5 v) P0 D! g" h3 k- S1 O
3 m0 c' Y' o0 b, I7 YPrentice gave his “State of the Province” speech to the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce Tuesday., |( r5 n, f% U8 I4 R7 P
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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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/ `, H& d3 {; K9 D8 D/ v& nNow, with prices lower than $65 US/barrel, Prentice says low prices could leave a $6-$7 billion hole in Alberta’s $40 billion budget.' l; p( _; {. x. }' _$ Z/ Y
m: ?2 L0 J3 _. U5 h% _) dPrentice 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.) x7 O& m, |9 K, ^- {
0 X0 i, `' T4 S3 NLast year’s provincial budget was based on a forecasted price of $95 US/barrel.9 O: n) y- j6 ?9 ]* n9 j1 ^
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Prentice says future budgets will rely on much more conservative price estimates.
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“In the long-term, a budget that is tied to to volatile energy prices year-in, year-out represents a significant risk.”& |$ Y7 A) a6 `$ r/ i, r+ \
+ {, t# N$ I x% JPrentice also says the government is not considering a provincial sales tax to cover possible shortfalls from low oil prices.
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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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