Taxes of all kinds big focus of Manitoba budget

WINNIPEG – The Manitoba government tabled its budget for the 2018-19 fiscal year on Monday. Here are some of the highlights.

— A $25 per-tonne carbon tax to take effect Sept. 1 will add 5.3 cents to a litre of gas and also affect natural gas, diesel and propane prices.

— Marked fuel used in agriculture, mining and forestry will be exempt from the carbon tax.

— Ambulance fees to be reduced to $340 from $425.

— New income tax credit for companies that provide on-site child care to be set up. Limited this year to 200 spaces.

— Post-secondary funding to be cut by $6 million, or one per cent.

— Five new schools to be built without using private-public partnership models.

— Basic personal exemption before people have to pay income tax to rise by $2,000 to $11,400 by 2020.

— Threshold at which small businesses start paying income taxes is to be raised to $500,000 from $450,000.

— Tax on fine-cut tobacco for rolling cigarettes is increasing to 45 cents per gram from 28.5 cents. Other forms of tobacco are unaffected.

— A special income tax deduction for credit unions to be phased out over five years. Will cost credit unions $15 million a year.