WINNIPEG - Premier Brian Pallister says his government's new budget addresses the pandemic but also offers some tax relief.
A promised plan to phase out education taxes on property is underway. Home and farm owners will get a 25 per cent rebate, while commercial land owners get a 10 per cent break.
In December, the PST will be eliminated from spa and salon services.
However, the provincial sales tax will be added to digital streaming services like Netflix and other websites like Airbnb.
Finance minister Scott Fielding is projecting a deficit of $1.6 billion.
The opposition parties claim the tax cuts come at the expense of supporting health care and education.
In other reaction, the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce is fairly happy with the budget. President and CEO Loren Remillard welcomes the promise to review the tax system.
Meantime, the Association of Manitoba Municipalities says the budget wasn't as bad as expected, given the cash crunch caused by the pandemic.
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