Last week, Finance Minister Michael Baker introduced his fourth budget and our government’s seventh consecutive balanced budget. It’s a budget that is strategic, prudent and good for Nova Scotians. It contains no income or sales tax increases and it protects the programs and services that are important to the people of this province.

Our budget helps us to achieve our long-term goals and it supports my government’s five immediate priorities in the short term. Because of this budget, we will protect the environment, we will reduce wait times, we will create safe, healthier communities, we will educate our students to complete and succeed and we will develop better roads and improve our infrastructure.

We will achieve all this within our means while keeping our disciplined debt reduction plan on target. This year, our forecasted surplus of $189.7 million will go to the debt.

You have no doubt heard a lot about the revamped Your Energy Rebate program that is contained in the budget and I want to set the record straight. The program has been adjusted to focus on home heating costs. The eight per cent rebate on all home heating costs will continue.

We’re fine-tuning the program to exclude non-heating electricity costs. This change continues in the Nova Scotia tradition of everyone coming together to help those who are less fortunate. A new program will mean people on low incomes will have access to a rebate of up to 200 dollars, designed to help them stay warm next winter. In addition, this year my government will double our contribution to the Salvation Army’s Good Neighbour Program to $400,000.

This year’s budget also eases the tax burden on all of us. The basic amount exempted from personal income tax increased by $250 for the second year in the row. Additional tax credits will also be increased, including the spousal, dependent, pension, disability and caregiver amounts. This means an additional $32.3 million in the hands of Nova Scotians.

Other highlights of the budget are $8.2 million for 70 more police officers, a Healthy Living Tax credit for all Nova Scotians and a $3 million investment to encourage the development of public transit in unserved and underserviced rural communities.

My government’s commitment to pave 2,000 kilometres of roads within four years is well underway. We have already completed 1,075 kilometres and expected another 425 kilometres to be finished this year. In fact, we intend to spend $190 million on highway maintenance, while $145 million is earmarked for new construction. Every penny of the gasoline tax is put towards road construction. Lowering the tax, even by a couple of cents, would dramatically reduce the budget for this work.

An investment of $180 million will freeze university tuition over the next three year. An additional $66 million will be invested in a Nova Scotia University Bursary Trust. These measures will bring the cost of education for Nova Scotians to the national average by 2010.

In this year’s budget, my government made choices that will help Nova Scotia realize its infinite potential. It’s a solid fiscal plan that lowers our debt and makes prudent spending choices.

For more information about the budget, please visit www.gov.ns.ca.