Provincial budgeting often misses estimates, report claims
CBC News
Posted: Feb 22, 2013 9:40 PM CST
Last Updated: Feb 22, 2013 10:19 PM CST
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A report from the C.D. Howe institute claims Saskatchewan has a poor record, relative to other provinces, when it comes to estimating — for budget purposes — how much money will be spent.
The report notes that because Saskatchewan relies a lot on resource royalties — from oil, natural gas, uranium and potash — forecasting revenues can be a challenge.
Still the authors of the report were critical of Saskatchewan for missing spending and revenue estimates.
"What ... hasn't been good is their ability to stick to their spending and revenue targets within their budget plans," Colin Busby, from the institute, told CBC News Friday.
Busby also pointed out that spending beyond what was budgeted can lead to problems down the road.
"That spending's going to be around forever," Busby said. "That's not one thing that's going to disappear next year. You're going to be on the hook and you're going to be liable for that."
With files from CBC's Jennifer QuesnelShare Tools
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