Manitoba budget: Provincial sales tax to drop; spending tightly controlled

WINNIPEG – Manitoba’s Progressive Conservative government introduced its 2019-2020 budget on Thursday. Here are some of the highlights:

— The provincial sales tax is to drop to seven per cent from eight as of July 1, saving an average household $350 a year.

— Ambulance fees to be capped at $250, down from $340.

— Funding for the film and video production tax credit to double to $31.5 million a year due to a growing number of projects.

— Operating funding for health, education and other areas to be tightly controlled. Spending increases to be below one per cent.

— Infrastructure spending on highways, airports and other items to drop by two per cent.

— Deficit forecast to be $360 million, down $161 million from the current fiscal year.