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May 17th, 2012 
FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda Tasmanian Premier and Treasurer Lara Giddings says she has produced a responsible budget with heart after resisting the urge to wield the axe for a second straight year.
After slashing $1.4 billion in last year’s budget, Ms Giddings has quarantined health, education and the police from further cuts.
Health has been given $30 million of breathing space for each of the next four years after it was asked to shave $100 million from its spending this financial year.
Householders will receive relief from power price increases to the tune of $300 million over the next four years, while $5 million will be spent on a “cost of living strategy” over the next two years.
The news isn’t all good for the public sector with other agencies expected to find an extra $68 million in savings over the next four years.
State taxes including conveyancing and insurance duties will increase as Tasmania deals with a drop of $114 million in GST revenue.
Wage rises for community sector workers, increased costs in prisons and uncertainty over Forestry Tasmania’s financial position have also put pressure on the budget.
“While we cannot afford to abandon fiscal discipline, this budget also has a heart,” Ms Giddings said.
As flagged in her mid-year financial report in February, the state’s deficit is more than double the forecast in last year’s budget at $289 million, while in 2012/13 it is predicted to be $283 million.
Ms Giddings says the budget will return to a surplus of about $50 million in 2013/14 on the back of growth in revenue from the GST and the carbon tax.
“We will be putting the hay back in the barn to deal with future challenges,” she said.
Net debt is forecast to peak at $134 million in 2012/13 but will be eliminated by 2014/15, she said.
Total revenue for the state is forecast to be $4.6 billion, with expenditure about $4.9 billion.
“We are not yet out of the woods – but there is definitely light at the end of the tunnel,” Ms Giddings said.
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