? LAST WEEK’S provincial ;budget offered no tax {decreases other than a hefty cut from 8.5 per cent to 5,5 per cent for small businesses eaming an annual profit of $200,000 or less. The rate is now half a per- centage point lower than Al- berta’s and finance minister Joy MacPhail promised to lower it “dollar for dollar’ to match any further reduc- 3tion in Alberta, t And MacPhail did use her ‘March 30 budget speech ta announce again personal in- scome tax rates first an- i mounced last year. } Overall, MacPhail’s : Predicting expenditures of $21,045. billion —_ against ‘revenues of $20,155 billion for a deficit of $890 million. The deficit, taken together with spending from crown Corporations and other agen- cies, will add another $1.5 billion in debt for a total load of $34.5 billion. Business groups demned the budget, the increase in the and consequent increase in total debt places the govern- ment’s economic situation ina precartous position. con- saying Liberal. leader Gordon Campbell called the budget a “blueprint for bankruptey.’’ Public sector union lead- ers generally welcomed the budget because of its in- creases in health care and education spending, Below are some key areas affecting the northwest. Highways The budget makes formal several significant road deficit: building programs in the northwest this year, includ- ing the beginning of a seven yeat-$41 million improve- ment to the Nisga’a High- way leading into the Nass Valley. As well, there’s money for the start of construction of a road connecting Kincolith at the mouth of the Nass River to the outside world. Health It’s going to be a few weeks yet before the Ter- race Area Health Council will know what chunk it'll get of a health ministry budget of $7.7 billion — $615 million more than last year, In particular, the council has’ been struggling with years of deficits. al Mills Memorial Hospital. But the council can expect to tap into $100 million in the health ministry budget to fix ¥2K compuler problems at the hospital. An earlier Mills estimate Abat it would take $1 million to make ils systems Y2K compatible has since been lowered. Education There was an announced $45 million increase in capi- tal expenditures for new schools and additions to ex- isting ones. It’s not yet known how much will be devoted to a replacement for the aging and avercrowded Skeena Junior Secondary or for a new elementary school on the bench, , The Nisga’a AS was the case in the fis- Gov't deficit, debt — ‘set for an increase Joy MacPhail cal year which ended March 3L, there’s $2.2 million set aside for the cash portion of the Nisga’a land claims treaty to be paid by the provincial government. The money wasn’t used last’ year: because the treaty wasn’t ratified. But it is expected ta be used this fiscal year with the treaty now making its way through the provincial legis- lature and with the federal parliament due to introduce ils treaty Jegislation this spring. — The $2.2 million represents the first of 15 an- nual payments totalling $33 million out of a total cash portion of $190 million. The remainder will come from the federal govem- ment, . Aboriginal affairs This ministry’s budget will increase from $29.7 million te $33.4 million, a rise of 4.4 per cent. Specifically, the amount for negotiating land claims is estimated to increase from $12.654 million last year to $15.493 million this year. Health planner hired NORTHWEST COMMUNITY councils are hiring a person to put together ‘a heeds assessment for the regions: 41 est cers The. idea, says an official of the. Terrace and Area Health Council, is to come up wilh a plan to not only share services but have them located in areas where it makes sense, Novak, mentor hired to set right the finances of the council and in particular of Mills Memorial Hospital. Northwest health councils and their offi- ae “This will be a total package,’’ said Tom the health council’s executive health cials have been meeting regularly already for quite some time in an attempt to come up with a regional. frameworks! rs: igi ‘The northwest is one of the, few. placed in the province not to have a regional health body with the authority to make regional budget and service decisions. That’s been considered an obstacle by some, as il then falls to community health councils to think regionally while living wilhin the budgets for local services. The community health councils will share. the cost of hiring the person to do the needs assessinent, Snowcheck your new 2000 PéSLARIS sled before April 15, 1999 and receive up to *325™ consumer rebate and a FREE 45th anniversary jacket. *Snowcheck available for non-current models. *non refundable Deposit required* See dealer for complete details POLARIS RIDE THE BEST The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, April 7, 1999 - A9 Safepak FIRST AID KITS & SUPPLIES Refill your old kit or upgrade with « new WCB Standard kit from w& Northern Healthcare in the Park Avenue Medical Building, Terrace tw Shames Mountain can be retrieved at 4544 Lakelse Avenue, Terrace until April 30. They'll then go fo the Salvation Army Thrift Shop in Terrace. i items C.S. (Cliff) Wilkinson CHARTERED ACCOUNTANT 304-4546 Park Ave. TERRACE, B.C. 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So when you choose a CA, you can concentrate on what you do best - running your business. 1133 Melville, Vancouver, B.C. 1-800-663-2677 TAX TIPS Health Premiums for the Self- Emplo’ Self-employed individuals who earn mora thon 50% of their income fram self-employment or if their income from other sources is less then $10,000 for the year, can deduct health and ental premiums made to a pri- vote health services plan (PHSP) Check your situation lo see if you can’ convert your medical cxpense credits into deductible PHSP premiums, The PHSP coveraga must be pur- chased from a third party insur- ance company, trust company, PHSP administrator, or a tax exempt butinass or professional organization in which the indi- vidual is o member or-a trade unian to which the individual or a majority of employees belong. Where the self-employed indi- vidual has arm's length perma- nent full-time employees, the deductible coverage is limited ta the lowast cost equivalent cover- age made evailable to such employees. Where the self- employed individual doas nat ave arm's length employees or if less thon 50% of the arm's length employees ora covered, _than deductible premiums are ‘limited ta: annual caverage of = “5$1;500 sfors the