Category : Budgets

This commentary assesses the impact of an economic downturn on the government’s budget plan.

This report provides an assessment of Ontario’s current economic outlook and the state of the provincial government’s finances.

This commentary compares the Low-income Individuals and Families Tax (LIFT) credit to the cancelled minimum wage increase from $14 per hour to $15 per hour. The commentary estimates the change to the Province’s budget balance and reviews the impacts to individuals and families.

This report provides an updated financial assessment of the Province’s health sector and outlines the FAO’s medium-term projection for health spending in Ontario under current policies.

This report reviews the 2018-19 Expenditure Estimates and identifies key issues, including how the 2018-19 Expenditure Estimates compare to the government’s spending plan in the 2018 Ontario Economic Outlook and Fiscal Review. The report also reviews the largest programs funded through the Supply Bill and identifies spending trends and recent developments.

This report provides the FAO’s assessment of the province’s medium-term economic performance and fiscal position, and the reasonableness and risks associated with the government’s fiscal recovery plan.

This report provides an updated assessment of the Province’s health sector expense plan,  and compares Ontario’s planned health spending to the growth in Ontario’s key drivers of health care costs.

This backgrounder includes a list of 2017-18 service fee rate changes, a discussion of the growth rate of service fee revenue, and a review of the cost recovery ratios for a selection of service fee categories.

This report provides an updated estimate of the fiscal impact of the partial sale of Hydro One and reviews key considerations surrounding the sale, such as the potential effect on electricity ratepayers in Ontario.

This report provides an updated Economic and Fiscal Outlook for Ontario based on developments since the release of the FAO’s spring outlook on May 31, 2017.

This report assesses the budget implications of maintaining Ontario’s current fiscal structure through three decades of demographic transition.

In the 2017 Budget, the government restated its commitment to reduce the net debt-to-GDP ratio to its pre-recession level of 27 per cent.  The Province’s commitment is based on three unlikely assumptions. If any of these assumptions fall short of expectations, the government’s debt-to-GDP target would not be achieved.

The 2017 Ontario Budget projects balanced budgets beginning in 2017-18 and continuing over the next two years. Given the government’s spending plans, maintaining a balanced budget relies critically on an optimistic revenue forecast – and in particular, on very strong growth in tax revenues. However, there appears to be significant downside risk to the government’s forecast.

The FAO’s Economic and Fiscal Outlook provides an assessment of Ontario’s current economic outlook and the state of the provincial government’s finances.

The Impact of a Housing Market Correction on Ontario’s Fiscal Position provides the FAO’s assessment of risk to Ontario’s finances from a potential housing market correction.

The annual deficit is a headline number in the Provincial budget and Public Accounts, as well as in the Financial Accountability Officer’s own Economic and Fiscal Outlook. However, this number is not a cash concept. Rather, it is based on accrual accounting. This commentary reviews the importance of understanding cash flow and how the different sources and uses of Provincial cash have changed over time.

This report analyzes how the Province plans to achieve the health sector expense targets in the 2016 Ontario Budget, and investigates whether the low health sector expense growth rate required to achieve the targets is sustainable after 2018-19. As part of the analysis, the report reviews how the Province slowed the growth rate of health sector expense starting in 2012-13.

Based on the FAO’s analysis of the Government’s 2016 Economic Outlook and Fiscal Review, the Province’s plan to balance the budget continues to rely on optimistic assumptions for revenue growth and program spending restraint.

This report analyzes the fiscal impact of cap and trade, i.e. how cap and trade will impact the Province’s projected surplus/deficit. Under cap and trade, the Province would sell allowances to emit greenhouse gases. It would then spend the funds raised on initiatives to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

This report provides an updated Economic and Fiscal Outlook for Ontario based on developments since the release of the FAO’s spring outlook on May 18, 2016.