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"A Family Tradition for 128 Years" PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, March 1,1994 - 3 - Mixed reaction to federal budget ET VU ------------------ By Scott Anderson Port Perry Star There are varying opinions on how far the Finance Minister should have gone with last week's federal budget. On the one hand Durham MP Alex Shepherd was disappoint- ed that his Liberal counterpart didn't go far enough in making cuts. But, Durham East MPP Gord Mills said the government went too far with their program and this will hurt the province. Finance Minister Paul Mar- tin unveiled the federal budget on February 221n Ottawa. Among the highhghts were; - no new tax rates or tax-rate mncreases; - the deficit was predicted at $39.7 bilhon for 1994-95 and $32.7 bilhon for 1995-96; - total federal spending rises to $163.6 billion, up from $160.3 billion in 1993-94; - unemployment insurance Local sisters to compete in Florida dance contest At home they are Alexandra and Christina Carter, but on stage they are Raggedy Anne and Andy. And this transformation has given them a chance to compete for top spot in a dance competi- tion in Floridalater this year. Christina, 11, and Alexandra, 14, earned a chance to compete in the Dance America competi- tion in Orlando, Florida on July 5, after winning a silver medal at a competition in Toronto last month. The sister pair performed their dance duet to the song "Candy Hearts and Paper Flow- ers" scoring 247 of 300 points. A score of 240 points was needed toadvance. The performance is judged evenly between dance and song. Although the two have been dancing for a number of years, this number was the first they had performed together as a duct. The sisters will be taking theiracton the road a numberof times this year, participating in various competitions in South- ern Ontario and Western New York. But, this is as far the two want to goin termsofshow busi- ness, as neither have dreams of a professional career. Instead they will opt for the fun in per- forminginiocal productions. URANJO e Additions e Renovations ONTRACTING e Custom Built Homes - "Building today, your dreams for tomorrow" Port Perry - (905) 985-7287 - John Van Belle ACCOUNTING 13047 [8 3 |) [oH BETTY PENNY 985-0712 COMP-U-COUNT Owner Managed Businesses. ¢ Bedford Simply, Accpac Plus & Lotus Training e Convenient On-site Service * New Business Setup ¢ Business Consultations e Financial Statements * Income Tax Retums » Strictly Confidential Service Full Range Of Accounting Services Available To Many Colours purveyors of very fine literature & other good stuff invites you ~ March 5, 1994 from 1:00pm - 2:30pm to meet John F. Green, author of Alice and the Birthday Giant, Junk-pile Jennifer and The House that Max Built. Perry 985-3475 benefits were reduced; - Income tax age shrinks for some seniors; - $100,000 capital gains ex- emption cut oft; - public service salary freeze extended for two more years. In- cludes Prime Minister, MPs, ministers, senators and the Governor General. "My initial impression was that there could have been more cuts," Mr. Shepherd said. But the Liberal MP noted it was a fairly good document con- sidering the government has been in power only four months. "The budget continues the government's tightrope walk of trying to reduce the deficit while stimulating the econo- my," he said. Noting that the $39.7 billion deficit was "horrendous," Mr. Shepherd praised the efforts be- ing made to shave the figure down. He also applauded the {recze on public service salarmes, not- ing $1 billion will be saved over two years. Victoria-Haliburton MP John O'Reilly also praised the minis- ter for his budget. "What the finance minister has done in his maiden budget is set the course for the country as he attempts to meet the Red Book promise of getting the defi- credit cit down to three per cent of the Gross Domestic Product in three years," he said. "The government is very rea- listic in its budget projections and attempts to ensure that fu- ture generations are not bur- dened with an impossible debt." But Durham East MPP Gord Mills saw the budget in a slight- ly different light, noting the gov- ernment's measures will hurt the province. "It was particularly devastat- ing to the province of Ontario," he said. Mr. Mills said Ontario "has been treated rather shabbily" by the federal governments since 1990 and the latest budget emphasizes the point. "It's a disaster for Ontario be- cause the present government 1s going to continue to treat us unfairly," he said. Of particular disappointment to Mr. Mills were the caps on welfare and "the continuing in- adequacies of the UIC and wel- fare." As a result of the continuing mistreatment of the province by the federal government, Mr. Mills said it will make the NDP"s budget process in April "that inuch more difficult." Myr. Mills predicted cuts in community programs would re- sult as "taxpayers have reached their limit." "The inevitable thing is that programs will have to be cut in- cluding education and health," he warned. The National Party's Finance Committee Chairman Harry Pope, a resident of Uxbridge, was also critical of the budget. "We all agree that the federal deficit must be brought down very quickly and very consider- ably. But this must be done through rapid economic growth, not through slashing spending and increasing taxes as pro- posed by the Minister of Fi- nance," he said in arelease. "The Liberal budget will more than wipe out even the small employment increase from the previously announced infra- structure spending. Creating more unemployment will in- crease the deficit, not decrease it." : : Scugog Mayor Howard Hall said the federal budget doesn't affect the people of Scugog tre- mendously. "At first blush, I don't think it has a great effect on the majori- ty of the people," he said. "The budget won't affect the people of Scugog too much." He noted the provincial bud- get due out in April will be more significant to the local govern- ment as it announces transfer payments for the communities. a i A aR I [| i