http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryD5DXuBwg0

And there is the reason I voted for the WRA candidate.

They should just do what the rest of the country does and request to be baled out by the Feds

What annoyed me the most about that video and annoys me generally every time someone says it is the argument that Alberta has the "lowest taxes".

It does not, this is an untrue statement. The flat tax is by definition not progressive, so if you earn under around $80,000 (depends on what credits you can claim like being married) then you pay MORE in income tax than you do in BC. And let's face it, most people do earn under that. Couple that with the fact that Alberta has the lowest minimum wage (except for Yukon) and surprise, surprise we have a labour shortage.

So now she's going to have some big stupid meeting to hear people's "ideas". Here's an idea - scrap the flat tax and have a proper progressive tax system. That will encourage labour to move to Alberta AND raise tax revenue as higher earners will pay more.

Very interesting.

Here's my tuppence worth:

Bring in a sales tax;
Reintroduce health premiums (I honestly don't know how much this would raise but I was amazed they were every abolished in the first place); and
Build a pipeline east (Manitoba or to the east coast - that will have the added benefit of taking huge money from BC).

Sales tax is a bad idea, it would kill the WEM. And the healthcare premium went straight into general revenue anyway, it was basically a bureaucratic way of adding 1% to the income tax. What is actually needed is proper income tax reform.

Hey, BC is still more screwed than we are! Total debt per capita in BC is $26,000 compared to Alberta where it's around $14,000.

But the income tax system in BC does make more sense.

The problem in Alberta is we need to broaden the tax base, the current approach is unsustainable.

What we really need is to get rid of the PCs, finally.

While they still think they can make it up from the oil revenues long term, and that this is a short term blip that will change when economies pick up I doubt you'll get any reform now...

Reform will come... It'll just come when its too late and you have no oil revenues

Please explain

My MLA phoned me because I sent him an e-mail suggesting my idea above, and he told me that basically the plan is to cut spending, I got the impression they're trying to force the AUPE to accept contracts with less pension benefits and so on and to do it they've got to get support from the public, hence the "forum". Hopefully if that works and Keystone XL gets built, revenues will recover and Alberta will be okay.

All sounds very haphazard to me, I still think it is crazy that for people earning less than $40,000 or so in every neighbouring jurisdiction they're paying 5-6% income tax and in Alberta they pay 10%. Maybe if they reformed the income taxes they'd have more leverage with the AUPE?

The thing that gets me about it is this: say you want to hire someone who would typically get around $40,000 pa. Well in Alberta you have to pay them more than you would in BC, plus (and here's the kicker) the cost to the employer is even more than that because it also increases the payroll taxes.

And strangely there is a labour shortage...

NO thank you! where there is a pipeline..there will be a leak (sooner or later).

Do you have gas in your house? A toilet?

Could Alberta not think of diversifying their oil market 5-10 years ago? It's a case of stable door, horse, unbolted.

Too true, oil should not be removed at all, under any circumstances, and piped anywhere. When the Government wishes to recover the lost revenues, I assume you will not complain about the increase in taxes that you will have to pay.

Oil and Gas are not going to last. Every government is seeking for the renewable energy. Nova Scotia is targeting 19% renewable energy this year and will reach 40% by 2020.