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本帖最后由 爱城闲人 于 2014-12-9 20:36 编辑 ; D" s2 D _+ f, b; H
$ V4 G0 e) b% e- X% d' Q6 @! QPremier Says Low Oil Prices Could Leave Hole in Provincial Budget: R9 w, a4 f* L
Tuesday, December 09, 2014 - Economy, Infrastructure, Oil
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The price of oil hovered around $63 US/barrel Tuesday after one of its worst days in years Tuesday.
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" s+ P4 r4 a4 x2 h$ u3 s: UAnd Premier Jim Prentice says low prices could leave a $7 billion hole in the province’s budget." d' H. u% E4 B! E4 i- J2 Y
8 g. ^6 C! \1 b1 m7 e$ SPrentice gave his “State of the Province” speech to the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce Tuesday.- _) g4 b% ?- a/ b
: `' m1 v, a t; DTwo 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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& a+ a( A- X2 K1 N# K. PNow, 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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6 N+ u, ^( V9 @! j; \“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.5 |" o2 d- y) a6 S- d
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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.
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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.”
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Prentice also says the government is not considering a provincial sales tax to cover possible shortfalls from low oil prices.: f; j5 Y- J I: Q
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楼主: 辽宁好汉
狗仔卡
发表于 2014-12-9 15:59
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