Toronto, ON: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is calling on Ontario Premier Doug Ford to table a plan to eliminate the deficit after the Ministry of Finance released its updated fiscal projections.

“A lower deficit is great news for Ontario taxpayers, but the government needs to do more by tabling a plan to reduce and eliminate the deficit in the near term through spending restraint,” said Jay Goldberg, the CTF’s Ontario Director. “The lower deficit figure is almost entirely due to stronger than expected tax revenue. Ontario taxpayers are still waiting for Ford to tackle Ontario’s longstanding government spending problem.”

The Ford government now expects the deficit to be $13.1 billion for the current fiscal year.

The deficit figure is $8.4 billion lower than projected in the fall, largely due to $8 billion in additional government revenue.

“Ontarians elected the Ford government to stand up for taxpayers,” said Goldberg. “Part of standing up for taxpayers means eliminating wasteful spending. Whether its corporate welfare, bureaucrat pay hikes or payday loans to political parties, there’s a lot of room for spending restraint. It’s time for Ford to stand up for the taxpayers he claims to represent.”