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本帖最后由 爱城闲人 于 2014-12-9 20:36 编辑 4 f) n8 @2 Y: X
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Premier Says Low Oil Prices Could Leave Hole in Provincial Budget) j+ S; h3 o2 g
Tuesday, December 09, 2014 - Economy, Infrastructure, Oil# d, r$ R+ N" c) u( E$ x% f; Z
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The price of oil hovered around $63 US/barrel Tuesday after one of its worst days in years Tuesday.6 P& ]: y$ e/ E* X6 [# n0 g
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And Premier Jim Prentice says low prices could leave a $7 billion hole in the province’s budget., n8 m7 B6 r1 I- R, D
8 ~* W6 a8 ?: w q6 r$ G: PPrentice gave his “State of the Province” speech to the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce Tuesday.5 [* [4 }- U' _ o, S8 m2 [
, n; t" C+ s: n* X4 OTwo weeks ago, the Premier said the government expected oil prices to end the year between $65 US/barrel and $75 US/barrel. At that time he said low prices would have “consequences for all Albertans.”
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Now, with prices lower than $65 US/barrel, Prentice says low prices could leave a $6-$7 billion hole in Alberta’s $40 billion budget.4 B" }8 r( y0 |$ B; y; u
/ Q: N8 x5 i8 ^, Z" i5 wPrentice says the government will have to reduce spending if low prices are sustained. He says across-the-board cuts in spending won’t happen, instead Prentice says his government will focus on core services and limit spending below the rate of growth, plus inflation.
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“It is incumbent on us to adjust our expectations and adjust our spending to begin to mitigate these risks for the long-term. And the solution cannot be to simply wait for the next upswing in prices,” he says.
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. i9 |9 h! e. w6 e9 ]Tuesday’s comments come days after a Morgan Stanley report said crude oil prices could drop to $43 US/barrel in 2015 before rebounding., w" L- d/ V' S$ S1 F
; O+ x' F1 V4 r2 d5 ~% \+ A2 pLast year’s provincial budget was based on a forecasted price of $95 US/barrel.( P+ U* g$ v9 G) `
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Prentice says future budgets will rely on much more conservative price estimates. m4 w( @( Z% K0 [7 W! t6 }' u
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“In the long-term, a budget that is tied to to volatile energy prices year-in, year-out represents a significant risk.”0 J/ N' X" ?8 D0 f
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Prentice also says the government is not considering a provincial sales tax to cover possible shortfalls from low oil prices.
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楼主: 辽宁好汉
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发表于 2014-12-9 15:59
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