• Taxpayers federation expresses "disappointment" at "irresponsible" move to delay budget by three months or more
• Letter to finance minister outlines necessity of fall budget and CTF pre-budget priorities

Letter

OTTAWA: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) has reacted to yesterday's statement from federal Finance Minister John Manley indicating that he plans to only table an economic update this fall as opposed to a full budget document.

"We are very disappointed that Minister Manley has chosen not to inform Canadians of the costs that we will have to pay to implement the government's forthcoming Throne Speech commitments," said CTF federal director Walter Robinson. "For a minister who preached the values of transparency, accountability and good governance to corporate Canada over the summer months, this is indeed quite surprising and frankly, irresponsible."

In a four-page letter to Minister Manley, Mr. Robinson notes "the budget is necessary to complement the generalities in the Speech from the Throne with a detailed costing of the government's agenda to offer Canadians a more complete picture of the government's plan and thereby facilitate an informed debate amongst us."

The CTF also used the occasion of writing to the Minister to outline its Back to Basics: ABCDEFG pre-budget priorities.

• A - Abolish the capital tax.
• B - Basic Standard of Living Credit (BSLC) of $10,000 in three years ($15,000 in six) to replace the current Basic Personal Exemption (BPE).
• C - Corporate welfare: Ending all industrial and regional development subsidies.
• D - Debt reduction: Implement an annual legislated schedule of debt reduction.
• E - End EI premium and CPP premium overpayments by employers.
• F - Forces and the Family. Reinvest in the Canadian Forces and explore ways to make the family the base unit of taxation.
• G - Gas taxes for cities. Adopt the CTF's Municipal Roadway Trust model to pump $2.2 billion annual back into city roadway expenditures.