Province Législature Session Type de discours Date du discours Locuteur Fonction du locuteur Parti politique Colombie-Britannique 35e 3e Discours du budget 22 mars 1994 Elisabeth Cull Minister of Finance New Democratic Party of British Columbia I am pleased to present the third budget of this New Democrat administration -- a budget that builds a prosperous and secure British Columbia. In our first two budgets, we had to respond to some serious problems -- we had to cut spending growth and reduce the deficit. We met these challenges, and British Columbia now has a firm fiscal foundation. Thanks to the efforts of all British Columbians, our economy has turned around. We now have one of the strongest economies and best job creation records in North America. We have one of the best deficit reduction records in Canada. We have the second-lowest overall taxes in Canada. We have the lowest debt, in relation to the size of our economy, of any province. And we have the highest credit rating of any province. In preparing this 1994 Budget, I consulted extensively with groups and individuals across British Columbia. In these meetings, British Columbians clearly told me their concerns. They want us to hold the line on taxes, to be tough on spending, and to eliminate the deficit as quickly as possible. They are concerned about their own job security and about their children's future in a rapidly changing economy. And they want us to focus on building the future -- investing in people and ensuring that British Columbians have the skills they need to prosper in the new economy. Honourable Speaker, this budget responds to these concerns and puts forward our plan for British Columbia's economic future. We recognize that government alone cannot build our economy and create stable long-term jobs. This is a challenge which requires the initiative of many groups and individuals -- in the private sector as well as the public sector. But it is government's job to focus on the future -- to make sure prosperity today leads to economic security tomorrow -- with new jobs and new business opportunities everywhere in British Columbia. We as a government have two key goals. One is to eliminate the deficit and ensure that British Columbia remains on a sound financial footing. The other is to build British Columbia's economic foundations for the 21st century. Over the last two years, we have made substantial progress in getting British Columbia's fiscal house in order – cutting spending growth in half and reducing the deficit by over $1 billion. But, equally important, we have done it while protecting the health of our families and the education of our children. And we have avoided the economic nose dive that would have occurred had we repeated the radical restraint of a decade ago. Honourable Speaker, this 1994 budget builds on the progress we have already achieved. * It reduces the deficit significantly for the third year in a row. * It puts forward a plan to achieve a balanced budget by 1996/97. * It continues to reduce the rate of spending growth by cutting waste and finding new efficiencies. * It continues to make the tax system fairer for ordinary people and business. * And it puts the lid on taxes for three years. Honourable Speaker, our most important goal is to build British Columbia's economic foundations for the 21st century. That means: * Making the new public investments required for private sector growth. * Maintaining quality health care and education for B.C.'s families and children. * Putting new skills in the hands of British Columbians. * Ensuring a long-term future for forest workers and their communities. * And providing support for small- and medium-sized businesses in the forefront of B.C.'s transition to a new economy. In our first two budgets, we began moving towards these goals. Our economy performed well last year, but it would be irresponsible to sit back now and take our long-term future for granted. Unless we continue to lay the foundations for longer-term progress, we will not be able to pass on a prosperous and sustainable economy to our children. Honourable Speaker, this budget introduces new initiatives to help ordinary people, communities and business all over British Columbia -- initiatives to increase skills training, build roads and public facilities, and revitalize forest communities. Let me now review our economic performance and prospects in a bit more detail. British Columbia's economy grew by 3.2 per cent in 1993 – our strongest performance in four years. As a result, Honourable Speaker, we now have one of the healthiest economies in North America. In 1993: * Exports grew by over 16 per cent. * Retail sales were up by 8 per cent. * Capital investment was up by over 8 per cent. * Housing starts reached 42,800 units, an all-time record. * And business bankruptcies fell by 20 per cent. Over the last 12 months, 76,000 new jobs have been created in British Columbia -- almost half the jobs created in all of Canada. That's more than 200 new jobs every day. And, in 1993, 63 new businesses were incorporated every day. British Columbia's strong performance is expected to continue next year as the global economy recovers. Overall, our economy is forecast to grow by 3.4 per cent in 1994. However, sustaining economic growth over the longer term requires continued strong management of the province's finances. Unless we can reduce and eliminate the deficit, we will not be able to continue providing first-rate education for our children or quality health care for all of us. In 1991 we inherited a financial mess. We faced government spending that was growing at a rate of 12 per cent each year -- far in excess of growth in the economy. And we faced a federal government refusing to honour its funding commitments to our hospitals, colleges and universities. Spending exceeded revenue by $2.4 billion, and an independent audit showed the deficit soaring to $3.4 billion by this year if no action was taken. When this government took office, the Premier pledged to cut the deficit each and every year -- until finally eliminated. Honourable Speaker, our first two budgets recorded steady progress. This budget continues that progress and lays out a plan to achieve a balanced budget by 1996/97. Let me first summarize the financial results for fiscal 1993/94, the year just ending. I am pleased to announce that this government's spending will be right on budget -- at just under $19 billion. And, because our economy is prospering, revenue will be almost $17.7 billion. That is $220 million higher than projected in last year's budget. Every penny of this new revenue has been used to cut the deficit and hold down debt. Therefore, the 1993/94 deficit will be $1.28 billion – well below our budget target of $1.54 billion. That's a cut of over $1 billion in our first two budgets. In this budget, Honourable Speaker, we are building on our record of sound financial management. British Columbia's continued strong economic growth means that provincial government revenues for 1994/95 will total $18.73 billion -- an increase of 5.9 per cent. Spending will total $19.63 billion. That represents an increase of 3.5 per cent -- the smallest increase in nine years. In three budgets, we have cut the rate of spending growth by almost three-quarters. Honourable Speaker, in this budget British Columbia is taking another major step forward -- bringing the deficit well under the $1 billion mark. The deficit for 1994/95 will be $898 million -- the third significant drop in three years. By the end of the coming fiscal year, we will have cut the deficit by $1.5 billion -- a reduction of over 60 per cent since we took office. Honourable Speaker, I am also putting forward this government's debt management plan. In recent years, Canadians have become increasingly concerned about the growth of government debt. British Columbia is fortunate to have the lowest debt in relation to the size of its economy of any jurisdiction in Canada. However, the accumulation of debt -- if not controlled – raises the amount we must spend on interest payments, and reduces our longer-term ability to fund key programs for people. A workable debt plan must recognize that the debt supported by B.C. taxpayers has two major components. One component is the accumulation of government operating deficits -- called the direct debt. That's the equivalent of buying the groceries with your credit card. When the government spends more than it takes in, this type of debt increases. Halting the growth of direct debt requires a balanced budget. The second major component of British Columbia's debt is the amount the province borrows to build key assets like schools, hospitals and roads. Unlike the direct debt, this debt generates real economic returns over time -- for example, an efficient transportation system and a healthy, well-educated population. This is similar to taking out a mortgage to buy a house. Money is borrowed to buy a valuable asset and the debt is gradually repaid on a fixed schedule. A high level of in-migration to British Columbia in recent years has increased the need for public assets of all kinds. And the radical restraint of a decade ago created a backlog of unfilled needs for new schools, justice facilities, colleges, universities, and hospitals. The debt incurred to build these facilities is backed by the value of the assets. The total replacement value of British Columbia's public assets is $60 billion, more than double the level of outstanding public sector debt. Honourable Speaker, our debt management plan has two goals. One is to eliminate the province's deficit. The other is to ensure that the level of total tax-supported debt reflects the province's ability to repay through increased economic growth and revenues. The progress we have made in reducing the deficit in this and previous budgets has slowed the growth of British Columbia's direct debt. And we will build on this progress by eliminating the deficit by 1996/97. In preparing this budget and the longer-term plan to eliminate the deficit, the Premier directed that further progress be made by reducing spending growth -- not by increasing taxes. Like most other provinces, this government's deficit reduction over the last two years relied on a combination of expenditure controls and tax increases. But taxpayers have done enough to help the government put our province's fiscal house in order. Therefore, for the next three years, there will be no new taxes and no increase in existing tax rates. * No increase in personal income tax rates. * No increase in sales tax rates. * No increase in fuel tax rates. * No increase in corporation income and capital tax rates. * No increase in Medical Services Plan premiums. * No increase in average school and rural property tax levels. * No increase in property transfer tax rates. Reaching our balanced budget goal without tax increases requires a further reduction of spending growth to the two-per-cent level in the next two budgets -- well below inflation and population growth. And in this budget, we are taking a further step to help cap and reduce the growth in debt. Honourable Speaker, the British Columbia Endowment Fund will be wound up, and most of its assets sold to pay down government debt. This action will generate approximately $600 million for debt reduction. Honourable Speaker, in addition to freezing taxes we are introducing a number of tax cuts to increase the fairness of British Columbia's tax system. Together, these tax cuts total $112 million: half to improve fairness for individuals and half for B.C. business. FIRST, we are fulfilling a promise made during the last election campaign and eliminating the property transfer tax for first-time home buyers. British Columbia's housing prices are the highest in Canada, and this measure will help to make the dream of home ownership a reality for thousands of young families. The first-time home buyers' exemption will replace the existing high-ratio tax relief program, and will be available to qualifying home buyers who have resided in British Columbia for at least one year. The maximum qualifying purchase price will be $250,000 in the Lower Mainland and Capital regions, and $200,000 elsewhere in the province. SECOND, we are increasing the home owner grant phase-out threshold by $50,000 -- now the grant will be phased out only for properties valued above $450,000. This adjustment will ensure that 95 per cent of B.C. homeowners are not affected by the phase-out of the home owner grant. THIRD, we are restoring the trade-in allowance on purchases of automobiles. Consultations over the last year have shown that this measure has had unintended effects for both buyers and sellers. We are also raising the threshold for the tax on luxury vehicles to $32,000. This change reflects both price increases and concerns that higher-priced vehicles needed to live and work in many northern and rural parts of the province are not luxuries. Honourable Speaker, this budget also ensures tax fairness for municipalities. During my pre-budget consultations, municipal governments expressed concern over the level of municipal grants as well as grants paid to municipalities in lieu of property taxes. I am pleased to announce that this budget maintains the level of unconditional grants to municipalities. In addition, we will implement a new approach to determining unconditional grants in future years which provides greater predictability. We will also undertake a thorough review of grants in lieu of property taxes for provincial institutions such as universities, hospitals and Crown corporations. And we will take steps to improve fairness for communities which bear the burden of providing services to these institutions. This budget also introduces a package of measures to increase fairness for business and help the private sector create jobs. I will outline the details of these initiatives later on in this budget address. Honourable Speaker, bringing down the spending growth rate over the last two years has challenged the public sector. Adjusting for population and inflation, real government spending per person declined last year. This government's decision to rely solely on spending controls to continue reducing the deficit creates an even greater challenge to the public sector. This year's spending growth of 3.5 per cent is well below last year's growth, and only a fraction of the 12-per-cent growth rate inherited from the previous administration. And it represents another cut in real spending per person of 1.3 per cent. Honourable Speaker, cutting waste and duplication means ensuring that all government agencies are fulfilling a valid public purpose. In 1992, we launched an initiative to reduce the large number of government boards, agencies and commissions. This year, we continued to review each government body – asking some basic questions. We asked if the public body was still performing a useful function. Or whether the service was performed more appropriately by the private sector. We asked whether there were other ways of providing the service more efficiently, and at less cost to the taxpayer. And we asked whether the public body was duplicating a service provided elsewhere. Honourable Speaker, as a result of this review, I am announcing today the elimination of five major government entities. * FIRST, as I have already announced, the British Columbia Endowment Fund will be wound up with the proceeds used to reduce the province's debt. * SECOND, the Round Table on the Environment and the Economy will be eliminated. This advisory body has undertaken valuable work, but other government initiatives in environmental protection and economic development have made its role redundant. * THIRD, the British Columbia Petroleum Corporation will be wound up. The deregulation of the natural gas industry has eliminated the need for this body, and its remaining functions can be more efficiently performed by the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources. * FOURTH, the British Columbia Energy Council will be wound up during the coming year. Its remaining consultative and policy advisory functions can now be performed within the existing mandates of the B.C. Utilities Commission and the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources. * FIFTH, Government Air Services will be wound up. Its air fleet will be sold and the government will contract with the private sector for emergency response, air ambulance, and other air travel requirements. An evaluation has shown that contracting these services to the private sector can achieve cost-savings. Over the coming months, I am looking forward to receiving the support of Members for additional steps to eliminate waste and duplication. Honourable Speaker, both elected and non-elected officials must continue to do their part to hold down the cost of government. We are continuing the salary freeze for MLAs and senior public servants, as well as the five-per-cent cabinet pay cut announced last year for the Premier and ministers. We are also moving to ensure greater control and accountability for salary costs in the broader public sector. These costs account for about 50 cents of every dollar spent by the provincial government. But, until now, the government has had limited responsibility for collective bargaining and executive compensation in schools, hospitals, universities, and colleges. Last year we established the Public Sector Employers' Council to increase the effectiveness of public sector labour management relations. And we have instructed the new council to undertake a comprehensive review of management compensation in the broader public sector. We have also taken specific measures to control costs and improve efficiency in the provision of education and health services. This year, additional funding for public schools will be dedicated directly to children in classrooms. These grants provide no new funds for salary increases, and put a cap on school district administrative costs. And over the coming year, we will implement a province-wide teacher bargaining system to improve cost-effectiveness for B.C. taxpayers and provide greater stability for students. Health care is our largest single budget item, accounting for one-third of government program spending. A key goal of our New Directions initiative is to find more cost-effective ways of providing high-quality health care. As part of a new regional management structure for health care, we are developing a series of new management arrangements to achieve greater efficiency in purchasing, administration, payroll, and executive compensation. A recent audit identified potential savings of up to $50 million from better hospital purchasing practices alone. Honourable Speaker, taxpayers expect that income assistance will be targeted to those in need, without fraud and abuse. In January of this year, we announced a series of new measures to combat welfare fraud and improve accountability. These initiatives are expected to save $20 million annually, and we will strengthen them in the coming year. Honourable Speaker, we are also taking measures to improve tax enforcement, minimize fraud, and ensure that everyone pays their fair share. We will increase our auditing and collection efforts, and there will be higher penalties for tax evaders. To help businesses comply, effective midnight tonight we are introducing an amnesty period during which they can remit overdue consumer taxes without penalty. It will end on June 30th, 1994. After the amnesty period, we will step up tax enforcement and collection. Honourable Speaker, some would like us to go further than the measures I have just outlined. They would like us to slash spending, eliminate the deficit this year, and freeze our debt immediately. However, eliminating the deficit immediately would mean: * long waiting lists for health care; * crowded classrooms; * a lower level of law enforcement; and * more young people turned away from universities and colleges. Freezing our debt would mean an immediate halt to construction of badly needed schools, hospitals, colleges, roads and other vital infrastructure. The experience of radical restraint right here in B.C. during the early 1980s shows it doesn't work. Not only would it make us less healthy, less well-educated and less well off -- it would also reduce our ability as a province to compete in a global economy. Honourable Speaker, although we are well on our way to eliminating the deficit and stabilizing our debt, a major source of uncertainty remains. This uncertainty relates to essential programs for people, cost- shared between our province and the new federal government in Ottawa -- health care, post-secondary education, and income support. The previous federal government attempted to deal with its deficits by offloading its financial responsibilities for these programs onto the provinces. The result has been a steady decline in the federal share of funding for essential services in our province. That means British Columbia taxpayers have had to pay more and more each year just to keep our essential programs from deteriorating. The impact on our deficit has been dramatic. In the absence of federal offloading we would have recorded a budget surplus of almost $900 million last year and a surplus of almost $1.6 billion for this coming year. That's $2.5 billion we could have used to reduce B.C.'s accumulated debt. Let me repeat -- British Columbia would have been in the black last year and in the black this year, with no budget deficit, if the federal government had lived up to its responsibilities. The new Liberal government in Ottawa has stated that federal- provincial cost-shared programs will be included in its major review of social programs over the coming year. However, even before undertaking this review, it has announced its intention to continue offloading costs onto the provinces. In its recent budget, the Liberal government announced that by 1996 it will reduce its payments for income support and post- secondary education to 1993 levels. If this happens, the provinces will have to assume even more of the costs of providing these programs. The funding problem for Canada's key social programs cannot be resolved by a continuation of unilateral federal offloading. A lasting solution requires a new, cooperative approach with the provinces -- one which ensures that provincial responsibility to provide key services is matched by access to adequate revenue sources. British Columbia has offered to play a positive and constructive role in rebuilding a federal-provincial partnership that will preserve our national social programs for the 21st century. Honourable Speaker, British Columbia's economy must create jobs with a future. Our economy is changing. In the old economy we relied on a small number of well-established markets for our products. In the new economy, we must learn to compete in a wide range of specialized global markets. In the old economy, our competitive advantage lay in the high quality of our natural resources. In the new economy, it will be based on the quality and skills of our workforce. Honourable Speaker, we face challenges in building the new economy. * The challenge of reconciling competing demands while getting the greatest social and economic value from a limited natural resource base. * The challenge of helping workers and their communities adapt to a changing economy. * And the challenge of creating a climate that encourages new private sector investment and growth. Unless we take action now to meet these challenges, we will not realize our full economic potential. Our plan for long-term economic growth and job creation has five key elements: * FIRST, providing the new public investments in infrastructure required to support private sector growth. * SECOND, making investments in people. That means giving priority to the health of our families and the education of our children. * THIRD, putting new skills in the hands of British Columbia's workers and young people. * FOURTH, ensuring a long-term future for British Columbia's forest workers and their communities. * And FIFTH, encouraging the growth of small- and medium-sized businesses to lead the transition to a new economy. Honourable Speaker, a strong, diversified private sector requires an effective public sector investment strategy. A strategy that will meet the needs of communities across the province for key investments like roads, communications networks, water and sewer systems, and educational facilities. Public investment creates jobs in the short term and tangible economic benefits in the long term. Last year this government introduced BC 21, a major initiative to increase the effectiveness of public investment and job creation activities. * BC 21 meets vital needs for new public facilities -- in health care, education, child care, research and development, transit and ferries. * It ensures the maximum level of regional benefits from all public sector investment -- jobs, opportunities for private sector suppliers, and training for workers. * BC 21 plans and builds important transportation links using the B.C. Transportation Financing Authority. * It funds innovative regionally-based job creation and training opportunities. * And it supports community initiatives to build or improve neighbourhood facilities. Honourable Speaker, we will continue to build on the success of BC 21 during the coming year. Public investment in schools, health care facilities, post-secondary institutions, and justice facilities will total $1billion in 1994/95. To enable working families to take full advantage of education and job opportunities, we will continue our three-year initiative to create 7,500 new child care spaces. And we will be introducing new initiatives to support quality child care that meets the needs of families at a cost they can afford. A new consolidated capital planning process, put in place this year, will ensure that major capital investments are made in the most cost-effective way. It will also ensure that British Columbians obtain the greatest possible benefit from capital expenditures in terms of job creation, training, skills development and regional economic impact. The B.C. Transportation Financing Authority will invest $300 million in 1994/95. This investment will keep the Vancouver Island Highway on schedule and allow us to make a start on other long-overdue transportation projects during the coming months. The Build BC Special Account will be continued with a budgetary allocation of $100 million. Priorities for the fund will include: * a continuation of the Community Grants Program; * new initiatives to support affordable housing; and * new partnerships with the private sector to help expand science and technology industries. Honourable Speaker, the BC 21 initiative will be supplemented in1994/95 by a new Canada-British Columbia infrastructure program. This new federal-provincial-municipal program provides for a total investment of $675 million over two years. The provincial contribution will be $225 million over two years. Funding will be targeted mainly to priorities set by local government, with an emphasis on water, sewer, and local transportation projects. Our investment in people is even more important than our investment in physical assets. A healthy, well-educated population enhances both our quality of life and our long-term economic performance. In our first two budgets we gave the highest priority to maintaining the quality of health and education services in the face of a growing population and serious fiscal constraints. This budget continues to reflect that priority. Expenditures on health care for 1994/95 will be $6.4 billion. That represents an increase of $200 million or 3.3 per cent over the previous year. While this increase is below those of the last few years, it is significantly higher than those in other provinces. For example, Alberta's budget contains a 10-per-cent cut in health expenditures. While British Columbians give the highest priority to maintaining a first-rate health care system, they also know that rising costs cannot simply be passed on to the taxpayer. We must find better ways of providing first-class care. Last year we introduced the New Directions initiative – to develop more cost-effective ways of ensuring a healthy population. We also introduced a landmark labour-management accord that allows the necessary transition from expensive acute care to more effective community-based care. And we negotiated a settlement with British Columbia's doctors that protects universal access to care within the means of taxpayers. This year, we are taking a number of measures to protect those health programs experiencing the most serious cost pressures. The cost of the Pharmacare program has grown from $215 million five years ago to $365 million today. To protect the viability of this important program we have launched a new Therapeutics Initiative. It will provide an independent scientific evaluation of new and existing prescription drugs, and make recommendations on coverage and use. And the Minister of Health will be announcing a number of additional measures to ensure the continued viability of the Pharmacare program. Honourable Speaker, during the coming fiscal year, we will spend $3.38 billion on operating grants to elementary and secondary schools. That represents an increase of $130 million or four per cent over last year's grant. This increase provides full funding for enrolment increases, an additional one per cent for operating cost pressures, and $30 million for children with special needs. Operating grants for universities and colleges will be $1.06 billion -- up 3.4 per cent. New Skills For a Changing Economy Honourable Speaker, over the coming decades British Columbia's economic success will depend on the skills of its workforce. High skill levels are a critical factor in our ability to provide knowledge-based industries and jobs with a future for ordinary British Columbians. We are at a crossroads where failure to move ahead decisively would create a widening gap between the skills of our workforce and those needed in the changing economy. And the result of this failure would be increasing unemployment and rising costs for social assistance. Last summer, the Premier's Summit on Skills Development brought together British Columbians from all walks of life to help chart a plan of action. In the coming days we will announce a comprehensive new skills and training initiative. This initiative will provide young people and working British Columbians with the skills they need for jobs in a changing economy. We are making skills training programs more accessible. And we are making improvements to high school and post-secondary education to meet the needs of the real world. In addition to the $34-million-grant increase for post-secondary education, we are providing $90 million in new expenditures to implement the new skills initiative in 1994/95. Over the next two years, we are committing $200 million to this important new initiative. Together with the grant increase for post-secondary institutions, this funding will create over 8,100 additional full-time post- secondary spaces in 1994/95. Honourable Speaker, the health of our forest industry is critical for the survival of communities across British Columbia. Yet our forests and the communities that depend on them are facing serious problems. Years of over cutting and poor management practices have led to a decline in both the quantity and quality of the remaining resource. Employment in the forest industry has been declining for over a decade, due to both mechanization and resource limits. And the disputes over the use of our forest land base are intense. Taking action to overcome these problems and revitalize our forest sector is one of this government's highest priorities. In 1992, we launched the CORE process -- appointing an independent commissioner to develop regional land-use plans on the basis of community participation. We initiated a province-wide Timber Supply Review to address the legacy of over cutting and set harvest levels that are sustainable. We launched a $40-million Forest Worker Development initiative under BC 21 to increase the level of silviculture in forest communities while creating jobs and improving worker skills. And we provided new funding through BC 21 to increase the Small Business Forest Enterprise Program. Honourable Speaker, we will continue to give priority to renewing our forests over the coming year. Despite the budgetary pressures we face, we are maintaining our total silviculture spending at $275 million to ensure the long-term viability of our wood supply. We are increasing our funding for the Small Business Forest Enterprise Program from $109 million to $140 million. This new funding will increase the wood supply to smaller manufacturers of high value-added products, and the cost will be offset by new forest revenues. Honourable Speaker, during this legislative session, we will introduce the new Forest Practices Code. And we are providing new funding of $20 million to ensure implementation of this vital initiative. Finally, over the coming months, we will be announcing a comprehensive package of initiatives to ensure future jobs and the sustainability of forest communities. It will focus on investing in forest lands, protecting the forest environment, ensuring higher levels of value-added manufacturing, and assisting forest-based communities and workers in the face of change. While the public sector can provide essential support through its investment in areas such as infrastructure, natural resource management and skills, most job creation occurs in the private sector. It is the private sector, particularly small- and medium-sized businesses, that is playing the lead role in British Columbia's transition from the old to the new economy. During my pre-budget consultations across the province, business groups made it clear they were not looking for handouts. They want better access to investment capital, less government red tape, and a fair tax system. Over the last two years we have already taken a number of initiatives to help the private sector grow and create jobs. * We opened the B.C. Investment Office to match private sector investment with new opportunities and cut the red tape sometimes faced by new businesses. * We introduced the BC Focus program to assist new, innovative B.C. businesses. * We launched a BC Buy Smart program to help more B.C. businesses get government contracts. * And last year we lowered or eliminated corporation capital taxes for 3,500 small businesses. In this budget, I am pleased to introduce a number of measures to help small business grow and create jobs. FIRST, we are increasing the threshold for the corporation capital tax to $1.5 million of paid-up capital and the tax will now be phased-in between $1.5 million and $1.75 million of paid- up capital. This change will eliminate or reduce the tax for another 2,000 small businesses. SECOND, we are exempting cooperatives and incorporated family farms from the corporation capital tax. This change will reduce taxes by approximately $4 million and help another 500 businesses. THIRD, we are introducing measures to reduce the costs that small businesses face in collecting and remitting taxes to government. The required frequency for remitting sales and hotel room taxes will be reduced, and the commissions paid to businesses for collecting these taxes will be increased. FOURTH, we are allocating another $10 million to the successful BC Focus program. This new funding will help innovative B.C. businesses raise the equity capital they need to start up or expand. Honourable Speaker, we are also introducing a package of tax reductions and other measures to support the growth of key sectors of British Columbia's economy. FIRST, we are introducing an $18-million package to improve the competitiveness of the mining industry. British Columbia's mining industry is a vital part of our overall economy and a major economic base for many communities. It accounts for 16 per cent of our exports and many thousands of skilled jobs. Specific measures I am announcing today include a reduction of the mineral tax rate for coal mines, an enhanced allowance for capital expenditures on new or expanded mines, a new exploration program, and funding to continue the Canada/BC Mineral Development Agreement. SECOND, we are spending $5 million more to help make tourism marketing more effective. Programs will be cost-shared with the private sector, and will provide an important boost to this key regional industry. THIRD, we are increasing support for British Columbia's cultural sector by $1.8 million. Part of this expenditure will be allocated to creating a new funding partnership with the federal government and the private sector. FOURTH, we are reducing the jet fuel tax by one cent per litre for international flights to advance the Vancouver International Airport as a major North American gateway to the Pacific Rim. Additional tax reduction measures are outlined in the budget appendix. Honourable Speaker, British Columbians have reason to feel good about our province and its future. British Columbia has come through a challenging economic period, and we have emerged as Canada's strongest economy. We have created more jobs than any other province. We have the second lowest taxes of all Canadian provinces. This government has the highest credit rating. And we have the lowest government debt as a per cent of our economy of all Canadian provinces. This budget builds on that strength. It is a practical and pragmatic budget with clear goals. It focuses on areas where government can make a real difference, and it recognizes that our economic future depends on the initiative and talent of the private sector, the public sector, and all British Columbians. Honourable Speaker, this budget shows that our fiscal plan is on track, and the sound fiscal management of the last two-and-a-half years is starting to pay off. It cuts the deficit for the third year in a row. It puts forward our plan to balance the budget in two years. It freezes taxes for the next three years. And it includes $112 million in tax cuts to make the tax system more fair and to encourage private sector growth. But there is much more to be done if British Columbia is going to maintain its position as the best place in Canada to live, work, and do business. This budget is focused on the tasks ahead. It places a high priority on skills training, job creation and the long-term health of our forest sector. It recognizes the challenges we face as our province makes the transition to a diversified value-added economy. And it protects vital health and education services. With this budget, we are taking concrete action to invest in the future and make sure all British Columbians have a fair chance to participate in the new economy. Honourable Speaker, this budget proves that we've been listening to British Columbians. And we will continue listening and working with people all over this province to build a healthy economy and a secure future for everyone. Thank you.