Surplus....What Surplus?

The following email has been sent to all MLAs, Mayor and council regarding the $351 million surplus: Hello to all: Again, the provincial government is bragging about surpluses. Surplus…….What surplus? With some of the highest residential taxation in Canada, the CBRM must continue to have our provincial government (all stripes) rub our face in the fact that they accept funding, that they keep from us, and then brag about a surplus. Shame on all of you! The spectacle of the NS government trying to claim it has a surplus in its budget is nothing short of voodoo economics and is a manifestation of figures don’t lie, but liars can figure…..political theatrics, at its best. In 2018 and 2019, the NSEF challenged the provincial government (Karen Casey of the Liberals) about claiming surpluses. The next 2 years, the liberals claimed a balanced budget. Now we see a new government (PC) trying that same misrepresentation and misinformation to make themselves look fiscally responsible. All at the expense of rural Nova Scotians and the CBRM. How can there be a surplus when most municipalities are financially struggling despite the fact the government again this year gets over $560 million in one part of the federal Equalization transfers to address the fiscal deficiency in the municipal levels of government. The government’s phony surplus is because it is derived from an inadequate provincial government municipal funding grant of only $30 million. It is because they underfund the provincial program, that they claim a phoney surplus. This also explains why the provincial government continues to state that there is “no connection” between its grossly inadequate “Municipal Financial Capacity Grant of $30 million” and the yearly federal Equalization transfers, which this year is $2.458 billion. The federal Equalization transfers are not being used to address the problems identified and federally funded to this province every year. The 2005 report, “A Question of Balance” prepared for the FNSM (now the NSFM) reported the provincial government’s municipal grant was grossly inadequate to provide comparable public services at comparable rates of taxation as required by the Constitution Act of 1982 in Section 36. Consequently, all Nova Scotians are not being treated fairly from these federal Equalization transfers and obviously, the provincial government has no plan to comply with the law enshrined in our constitution. Regards, Rev. Dr. Albert Maroun & The Nova Scotians for Equalization Fairness

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Martha Ross Follow Me
Thank you Fr Albert Maroun, I agree completely with your letter here. My exact thoughts too, about the province of Nova Scotia bragging about the surplus they announced recently. And the same when the Liberals were in power in Nova Scotia, Karen Casey bragging about the surplus. They all should, as politicians, hang their heads in shame, when they very well know those surpluses belong to the people of Rural Nova Scotia and the CBRM, who are being short changed, on a continuous basis from the equalization transfer. The public of Rural Nova Scotia and the CBRM need to speak up continuously and not allow this government of Nova Scotia ( no matter what stripe) to get away any longer, illegally withholding the entitlement of the equalization transfer that belongs to the people of Rural Nova Scotia and the CBRM.

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