April 30, 2015
Budget 2015 Keeps Building for Manitoba Business
– – –Government Following Industry's Advice Not to Take Foot off the Gas Pedal: Minister Dewar
Budget 2015 includes measures to help Manitoba keep the economy strong and help businesses continue to hire and grow, Finance Minister Greg Dewar announced today.
“Manitoba is forecast by the Conference Board of Canada to have the strongest economic growth in Canada over the next two years. Manitoba firms are showing their confidence in the province’s future by hiring and expanding,” Minister Dewar said. “Manitoba’s economy is creating jobs faster than any other province, at a rate four times the national average. Three out of every four of those jobs are in the private sector and four out of five are full-time.”
Budget 2015 will continue those successes with:
- investing an all-time record in infrastructure of more than $1 billion, boosting the province’s GDP and exports;
- ensuring an additional 2,000 small businesses will pay no corporate income tax;
- improving a research and development tax credit to allow innovators 20 years to realize profits from investments;
- working with Winnipeg Airport Authority to secure more direct flights to international destinations;
- enhancing and expanding the Apprenticeship Tax Credit to promote more on-the-job training opportunities;
- making the Small Business Capital Tax Credit available to more businesses; and
- renewing tax credits to support dynamic sectors such as film and video production and interactive digital media.
“While preparing this budget I consulted with Manitoba businesses. They told me that to cut our planned infrastructure investments now would hurt the economy and throw Manitobans out of work,” Minister Dewar said. “Our targeted investments in core infrastructure are keeping growth strong now and laying the foundation for an even more prosperous future.”
The minister pointed to examples such as CentrePort as investments that are paying off. Since the completion of CentrePort Canada Way, 39 businesses have opened in the inland port, creating hundreds of new jobs. Construction has now begun on an expansion of the Cartier water treatment plant to serve CentrePort and the surrounding communities.
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