No ‘extreme measures’ in budget, but room for closing tax loopholes: Sousa

TORONTO – Ontario Finance Minister Charles Sousa says there won’t be any “extreme measures” to beat the $12-billion deficit in the upcoming budget.

Speaking in the legislature, he says he won’t take a slash-and-burn approach, which would hurt Ontario’s economic recovery.

But Sousa says the governing Liberals won’t take extreme measures like taxing or overspending either.

Ahead of his speech to the Economic Club of Canada today, Sousa says the Liberals will take a “balanced approach” to the budget.

Sousa says the government is on track to eliminating the deficit by 2017-18, and part of that is eliminating corporate tax loopholes.

It’s one of the demands the NDP want to see in the budget in exchange for its support.