Provincial Auditor slams NDP government's made in Manitoba style accounting

WINNIPEG: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) responded to Provincial Auditor Jon Singleton's Audit of the Public Accounts which revealed the province running a $604 million deficit, not the $13 million surplus previously stated by Finance Minister Greg Selinger.

"The Provincial Auditor has confirmed what the CTF has been saying for years, the current government is spending way beyond its' means, and now taxpayers in Manitoba will have to pay for a $604 million deficit," stated Provincial Director Adrienne Batra. "Under Manitoba's Balanced Budget Act, the government is technically balancing the books, but thanks to the NDP government's creative accounting methods, Manitobans are not getting the full financial story," added Batra.

According to the Auditor's report, the province has posted a deficit for the third consecutive year, which has ballooned to $604 million. The government prepares two sets of financial statements, but only uses the one with a positive balance, a practice the Auditor General has condemned as 'misleading by omission.' "The Auditor's latest report clearly shows the need for the province to move to Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) which include the entire fiscal health of the province - everything from the operating budget to crown corporations would then be included," stated Batra.

Manitoba's Balanced Budget Law, which was adopted in 1995, will also have to be modernized to accurately reflect today's financial realities in Manitoba, "ten years ago the Balanced Budget Law was enacted to ensure that taxpayers were protected from runaway government spending," said Batra, "now the law needs to be strengthened to ensure that this piece of legislation does truly function as the first line of defence to protect taxpayers," concluded Batra.







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