2006 Canadian federal budget
| Bill C-13 | |
|---|---|
| Presented | May 2, 2006 |
| Passed | June 6, 2006 |
| Parliament | 39th |
| Party | Conservative |
| Finance Minister | Jim Flaherty |
| Total revenue | C$236 billion[1] |
| Total expenditures | C$222.2 billion[1] |
| Program Spending | C$188.3 billion[1] |
| Debt payment | C$33.9 billion[1] |
| Surplus | C$13.8 billion[1] |
| Debt | C$467.3 billion[1] |
| Website | http://www.fin.gc.ca/budget06/pdf/bp2006e.pdf Focusing on Priorities |
|
‹ 2005 2007 › | |
The Canadian federal budget for fiscal year 2006–2007 was presented to the Canadian House of Commons by Finance Minister Jim Flaherty on May 2, 2006. Among the most notable elements of the federal budget were its reduction of the Goods and Services Tax by one percentage point, income tax cuts for middle-income earners, and $1,200-per-child childcare payment (the "Universal Child Care Benefit") for Canadian parents.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper called the bill a message of what Canadians should expect from his Conservative minority government. Many aspects of it were criticized by opposition parties. The Liberal Party and New Democratic Party indicated that they would not support the budget, while the Bloc Québécois indicated that it would vote in favour of it.
On June 6, 2006, the budget was introduced for third reading in the House of Commons. Amid an apparent mix-up, and confusion, no MPs rose to speak. Thus, the budget was declared passed by unanimous consent a week ahead of schedule.[2][3]
Highlights
These initiatives are to be delivered in periods that vary from one to five years:
- $1.1 billion for the Canadian Forces.
- $2 billion in general spending cuts.
- The creation of the Canada Employment Credit, a tax credit to be worth approximately $155 per employed Canadian by 2007.
- $1 billion for emergency preparedness, specifically against a potential flu pandemic.
- A decrease (in law) in the lowest income tax rate from 16% to 15.25% for 2006, and to 15.5% for subsequent years.[4]
- Increases to the amount that an individual can earn before paying personal income tax from about $8,300 to $10,000 by 2010.
- A reduction of the general corporate income tax rate from 21% in 2007 to 19% in 2010, and elimination of the 3% corporate income surtax after 2006.
- $160 million for hiring new police officers at the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
- $3 billion to reduce the government's debt.
- No funding for the Kyoto Protocol
- No funding for the Kelowna Accord
- $150M in new taxes on income trusts
See also
Notes
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Department of Finance (October 30, 2007). "Strong Leadership. A Better Canada." (PDF). Economic Statement. Canadian Department of Finance. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 16, 2009. Retrieved May 8, 2009.
- ↑ Federal budget passes unopposed on mix-up from CBC News
- ↑ The proceedings from June 6th included some confused comments by MPs and clarifications by Deputy Speaker Bill Blaikie confirming that the Bill C13 had been passed: "Order, please. There seems to be some confusion in the House. It is my understanding that the bill to which the hon. member is speaking is Bill C-13 which was just passed. We have now moved to debate on Bill C-10." "It may have been the intention of some members [to debate a third reading] but before I took the Chair I observed what I thought to be the passage of Bill C-13 without any dissent, or division for that matter. I believe the matter has now been decided." "The Speaker did call for debate when the question was put on third reading and no one rose. The question was then put on third reading and the bill was carried without dissent or division. It sometimes happens in the House that the intentions people have do not always fully manifest themselves." quoted from OpenParliament.ca recorded proceedings
- ↑ Bill C-80, introduced by the Liberal government six days prior to dissolution of the 38th Parliament, proposed to decrease the lowest income tax rate from 16% to 15% and increase the personally basic amount by $500 effective January 2005. This bill only passed the first reading and was not law . According to convention, changes to tax laws are implemented as soon as announced by the government, even if applicable legislation has not yet been passed through Parliament. Thus, the Canada Revenue Agency implemented the changes while parliament was dissolved.