On Wednesday, April 7, 2021, Manitoba Finance Minister Scott Fielding presented the 2021 provincial budget to the legislature.
The budget clearly supports the ongoing battle with the COVID-19 pandemic but also offers a smattering of tax relief initiatives, vehicle registration fee reduction and frozen child care fees.
The government is promising a 25 per cent rebate in the education tax levied on residential properties both this year and next. For commercial properties the rebate will be 10 per cent over the same period.
Changes in the PST will mean that you no longer have to pay tax on haircuts over $50 and manicures or pedicures begining in December.
PST will be charged for streaming services like Netflix, Spotify, Amazon Prime and Apple TV+ as of December.
You will also begin to pay PST on things you order online from third party sellers on Amazon, Bestbuy and Etsy. Items sold privately on sites like Kijiji and Facebook Marketplace will continue to be exempt.
If you rent an AirBnB the cost will increase as PST will be added to the price.
The Provincial Income Tax will be indexed with inflation.
Vehicle registrations will see a 10 per cent reduction.
Rents will see an increase of 1.6 percent this year but then be frozen for the next two years.
Child care fees will be frozen for the next three years.
Health
The province will be spending up to an additional $1.2 billion on the COVID-19 fight.
Health-care funding overall will see an additional $156 million to a total go $6.9 billion.
$ 50 million will be spent on reducing surgery wait times for delays due to COVID-19
More than $812 million will be spent on health care infrastructure in the north and rural area of the province.
120 new personal care home beds will be funded
People under the age of 25 suffering from type one diabetes will have their insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitors paid for.
More than $345 million will be spent on the new Mental Health, Wellness and Recovery department, the mental addictions strategy and housing supports.
$292 million for health infrastructure projects including a new Emergency Room at St. Boniface General Hospital.
Infrastructure Projects
$415 million for new schools
$630 million for road construction
$25 million for a trust for the redevelopment of the former Hudson’s Bay store in Winnipeg.
Justice
$3 million is earmarked for the court system to reduce backlogs
The province will establish and fund a new Central Intelligence Centre
Housing
$22 million goes to the Rent Assist Program
$2.56 million to help find housing for homeless people through the Manitoba Non-Profit Housing Association
Education
$680 for post-secondary schools
$4 million for post-secondary bursaries
$5.5 million increase in funding for special needs students
$ 4 million for a virtual learning strategy
$5 million for the new school division strategy
The complete budget is available in the link below.
LINK | Manitoba Budget 2021
© News4.ca 2021
