Watchdog investigating federal budget surprise
Posted October 27, 2013 8:51 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
OTTAWA (NEWS1130) – The revelation last week that Ottawa is almost $7 billion ahead of schedule for eliminating the deficit is attracting the scrutiny of the budget watchdog.
The No. 2 man in the Parliamentary Budget Office says officials have asked the Finance Department for clarification.
Mostafa Askari says it’s still not clear where the unexpected savings come from.
The government now pegs the deficit for 2012-13 at about $19 billion rather than the $26 billion it estimated in the March budget.
Much of the savings came from chopping the public service and programs.
Some critics say the Conservative government wants to get the budget balanced before the scheduled election in 2015 to be able to offer new tax breaks.
