Highlights of Manitoba budget

WINNIPEG – Highlights of the Manitoba budget:

Bonus for employers who take on apprentices for first time.
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Low-cost loans to help people buy winter tires.
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$5.5 million to boost child-care spaces and improve wages.
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Increased small business venture capital tax credit.
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Increased rental benefit for people on social assistance.
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Government spending growth capped at two per cent.
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Books balanced by 2016
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Personal tax exemption frozen at $9,134.
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Small user-fee increases for drilling and municipal planning applications.
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Five-year plan to spend $5.5 billion fixing roads and bridges and for flood protection.
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New $5 fee on hunting licences for a fund to enhance wildlife habitat.