The highest level of per-person spending by the Alberta government happened in 2017, three years before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a study done by the Fraser Institute. .“Many Albertans might be surprised to learn their government spent more three years before COVID than during the first full year of the pandemic,” said Fraser Institute economist and study co-author Tegan Hill in a Wednesday statement. .The study compared provincial government spending since 1965. .The study said the Alberta government spent $13,719 per person in 2017, the highest level of inflation-adjusted per-person spending between 1965 and 2020. .During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the provincial government spent $13,649 per person, the second highest level during this 55-year period. Spending unrelated to COVID-19 totalled $12,347 per person. .The study went on to say former Alberta premier Ralph Klein spent $7,154 per person when adjusted for inflation after a period of austerity to better control the province’s finances. This approach led to debt elimination and tax relief, bringing about prosperity for Alberta. .“Holding the line on the growth of provincial spending, as the government achieved in the 1990s, is imperative to the long-term health of the province’s finances,” said Hill. .The Alberta government tabled its latest budget in February, bringing the province back to balance for the second time in more than a decade. .READ MORE: Alberta delivers balanced provincial budget 2022.Total revenue is estimated to be $62.6 billion in 2022-23, $900 million higher than the forecast for 2021-22..Total expenses is $62.1 billion for 2022-23, $2.8 billion less than what was projected for 2021-22.
The highest level of per-person spending by the Alberta government happened in 2017, three years before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a study done by the Fraser Institute. .“Many Albertans might be surprised to learn their government spent more three years before COVID than during the first full year of the pandemic,” said Fraser Institute economist and study co-author Tegan Hill in a Wednesday statement. .The study compared provincial government spending since 1965. .The study said the Alberta government spent $13,719 per person in 2017, the highest level of inflation-adjusted per-person spending between 1965 and 2020. .During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the provincial government spent $13,649 per person, the second highest level during this 55-year period. Spending unrelated to COVID-19 totalled $12,347 per person. .The study went on to say former Alberta premier Ralph Klein spent $7,154 per person when adjusted for inflation after a period of austerity to better control the province’s finances. This approach led to debt elimination and tax relief, bringing about prosperity for Alberta. .“Holding the line on the growth of provincial spending, as the government achieved in the 1990s, is imperative to the long-term health of the province’s finances,” said Hill. .The Alberta government tabled its latest budget in February, bringing the province back to balance for the second time in more than a decade. .READ MORE: Alberta delivers balanced provincial budget 2022.Total revenue is estimated to be $62.6 billion in 2022-23, $900 million higher than the forecast for 2021-22..Total expenses is $62.1 billion for 2022-23, $2.8 billion less than what was projected for 2021-22.
