Canadian parents will have a few extra bucks in their wallets come tax season next year, but governments were the biggest benefactors of this year’s federal budget.The Conservative government 
announced on Monday that an additional $8.2 billion will be transferred to the provinces for the next three years to pay for infrastructure and social programs.“Premiers are tired of coming to Ottawa on bended knee and with open hat begging to have tax dollars come back to the provinces,” said Okanagan-Shuswap MP Colin Mayes. “I think (the budget) is not just for families it’s also looking at the fiscal imbalance in the country.”Mayes said he expects some of that money to pay for improving infrastructure in the riding. He said that he expects some of the $1 billion announced for the Asia-B.C. Gateway Program will fund improvements to Highway 1 and Highway 97.“I’ve always argued that the gateway starts at the Alberta border,” he said. “I’m hoping that some of those dollars will go to the Trans-Canada and Highway 97.” Parents will benefit by saving on average $310 per child under 18, but the government is still planning to take more tax money than last year. Taxpayers are on the hook for an extra $3.5 
billion this year, contributing to the government’s projected $3.3 billion surplus. Total spending shot up by $10 billion to sit at $233.4 billion.“In terms of the ultimate tax benefit for individuals, it comes out to about $80 per person, which really isn’t anything,” said Okanagan-Shuswap Liberal candidate Buffy Baumbrough. “It doesn’t seem to go far enough.”The Liberals and NDP have stated they will not support the budget and Baumbrough said they have every reason not to. After the heavy budget cuts last year, she said many of the increases don’t amount to much.“When you crunch the numbers it’s not a huge increase for the provinces,” Baumbrough said. “I don’t think it’s sufficient and I don’t think it provides a long-term strategy for the country.”Although he’s not surprised that two of the opposition parties have voiced their disapproval of the budget, Mayes said there are too many good things in the budget to ignore.“We’re making sure that we have funding for health care, social services, funding for provinces, we’re making sure that we’re not disenfranchising families by high taxes,” he said.
billion this year, contributing to the government’s projected $3.3 billion surplus. Total spending shot up by $10 billion to sit at $233.4 billion.“In terms of the ultimate tax benefit for individuals, it comes out to about $80 per person, which really isn’t anything,” said Okanagan-Shuswap Liberal candidate Buffy Baumbrough. “It doesn’t seem to go far enough.”The Liberals and NDP have stated they will not support the budget and Baumbrough said they have every reason not to. After the heavy budget cuts last year, she said many of the increases don’t amount to much.“When you crunch the numbers it’s not a huge increase for the provinces,” Baumbrough said. “I don’t think it’s sufficient and I don’t think it provides a long-term strategy for the country.”Although he’s not surprised that two of the opposition parties have voiced their disapproval of the budget, Mayes said there are too many good things in the budget to ignore.“We’re making sure that we have funding for health care, social services, funding for provinces, we’re making sure that we’re not disenfranchising families by high taxes,” he said.
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