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32 Tax Memo 1 (1963)

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TAX


No.32


MEMO


February, 1963


CANADA'S 1963 FEDERAL

      BUDGET PROSPECTS


    The  Foundation's annual federal budget
forecast was prepared before, but is published
in the wake of, the dissolution of Parliament.
This event dashed prospects for an early budget
and postponed the day of a national accounting
until late spring at the earliest. The following
describes the bounds within which any Minister
of Finance will operate in the coming fiscal year
and may  serve as an interim indication of the
fiscal climate until a budget can be introduced.
     In estimating the fiscal outlook the Foun-
dation does not try to predict the unpredictable.
It simply looks at the revenue prospects when
present tax rates are applied to the anticipated
national product. On the expenditure side it
tries to assess the trends of government spend-
ing on current programs but makes no assump-
tions regarding the possibility of new programs
which  may  result from the current election
campaign. Whatever  government is elected, it
will have to start from these realities.
     There were several additional complica-
 tions in the forecasting exercise this year. The
 fact that the Main Estimates for the coming
 year have not yet been tabled means that the
 official estimate of how much existing programs
 will grow or contract is not available. The new
 web of federal-provincial fiscal relationships
 adds to the difficulties of predicting the federal
 take from the personal and corporation income


tax. A decision had to be made about how tem-
porary the customs surcharges are. In view of
the repeated statements that they would be lifted
as soon as possible, and the uncertainty as to
when  this would occur, it was decided not to
count them in the revenue potential for next
year.
  For the current fiscal year it appears that the
revenue expectations announced by the Minister
on October 22, 1962 will be realized. His ex-
penditure forecast may be a little low in the
light of civil service pay increases, high interest
rates and other developments. As a result the
deficit may approach $600 million instead of
the $570  million forecast by the Minister in
October.
   For the 1963-64 fiscal year revenues are ex-
pected to go up by more than $200 million in
response to a moderate growth  in the gross
national product, but under our assumption
about the surcharges, there will be an offsetting
loss of at least $100 million if they are not
continued. The range of expenditure estimates
which  appear reasonable indicates a deficit at
least as large as this year's $600 million and
perhaps as high as $800 million. Indications are
that the government's non-budgetary cash needs
will not greatly exceed this year's level.
     A  more detailed analysis follows.


             Additional copies of this Memo may be obtained at a price of 15¢.


CANADIAN                     TAX          FOUNDATION

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