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本帖最后由 爱城闲人 于 2014-12-9 20:36 编辑 ( _8 \2 v4 R9 x" T
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Premier Says Low Oil Prices Could Leave Hole in Provincial Budget
( d+ h& g" \- n2 L2 J, fTuesday, December 09, 2014 - Economy, Infrastructure, Oil% N C& l; r5 C7 a7 w
" L3 j$ i$ Y) GThe price of oil hovered around $63 US/barrel Tuesday after one of its worst days in years Tuesday.7 m; F5 t3 g( b9 h& B1 m9 _
9 l0 |7 n1 U0 O6 q9 p/ RAnd 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.”2 E) x' g8 _7 Y, n
Z5 e6 I& M4 [2 ?0 e% A, @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. O" c4 ?) s6 {% 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.
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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.3 |% Q8 L- {4 S4 [0 ^) L) H
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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.& h% ]- i! a0 ?) t, F& T' c! a
1 u \2 X8 ^2 i a, TLast year’s provincial budget was based on a forecasted price of $95 US/barrel.2 y v' A8 M6 F4 s! K% B- v1 w! x8 j
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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.# H& r& e; Y: p" z/ l3 l. @% _
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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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