Provincial budget touches Yarmouth in several ways

By Michael Gorman

THE VANGUARD

NovaNewsNow.com



The provincial government unveiled its budget on Tuesday afternoon and some of the features will have direct implications on this area.

Yarmouth is directly mentioned in the budget twice: once with respect to jails (the Yarmouth jail and Dartmouth jail will share $1.5 million to go towards population increases) and once with respect to schools. The province is making $44 million available for construction and the continuing development of new schools. Some of that money is designated for the site and design work of a new high school in Yarmouth announced earlier this month by the Minister of Education.

New tax credits that will certainly have an impact on this area include an increase to the volunteer firefighter tax credit and the extension of the credit to include Ground Search and Rescue volunteers.

Although details are still to be worked out on the program for Ground Search and Rescue volunteers, the budget calls for a tax credit of $375 in 2008 and $500 in 2009 for both groups. Local representatives for both groups have said in the past that their members need help managing the personal expenses incurred by volunteering with such services.

"It's fantastic news and it will be an incentive to anybody interested in the program," said Walter Parnell of Yarmouth Ground Search and Rescue.

"We've been addressing this issue with (the province) for a couple of years . . . If the budget passes it's a great thing. If it doesn't, we start back at square one."

Another tax credit likely to impact many people is the healthy living tax credit. Starting in 2009 the credit, which was first created for children, will extend to all Nova Scotians at a value of up to $500 per person to go towards recreational activity registration fees.

Major budget notes with respect to health care include the funding of the cancer treatment drug Avastin, $262 million over 10 years towards the creation of 1,000 long-term care beds and almost $3 million for a new colorectal cancer screening program. The province will also create a new position to coordinate activity association with health care wait times.

The graduate tax credit will increase in 2008 from $1,000 to $2,000 while college and university students will now be able to borrow money directly from the province at a reduced interest rate of two percentage points, with the first 20 per cent of the loan to be treated as a grant as high as $1,560 a year.

One rebate that will be reduced is the energy rebate. That will go down to $47 million from $75 million. The eight percent electricity rebate — the province's equivalent of the HST — is being eliminated in all cases except when electricity is used for heat. The heating assistance rebate program will provide up to $200 for single people with an annual income of up to $15,000 or a family income of up to $25,000 for those who heat with oil, gas or propane. The rebate is $150 for those heating with electricity, wood, coal or wood pellets.

The Tories will now wait to see if the budget does enough to gain the support of at least one of the opposition parties, something that it needs if the budget is to pass and the MacDoanld government remains in power.