OTTAWA — The Conservative government now says it will not introduce new user fees to help kill the federal deficit.
Treasury Board President Tony Clement says there are many ways to balance the budget without additional taxes.
Last week, Clement put user fees on the table in a speech to senior government executives charged with finding $4 billion a year in savings as part of Ottawa's deficit-elimination plan.
He told officials to develop a full range of options, including business consolidation and user fees.
Now Clement says the government does not believe Canadians should be "user-feed to death."
In the election campaign, Prime Minister Stephen Harper pledged to eliminate the deficit in four years.
To accomplish the feat, Ottawa is counting on a combination of increased revenues from a growing economy and the most stringent spending controls since the cuts of the mid-1990s.
Treasury Board President Tony Clement says there are many ways to balance the budget without additional taxes.
Last week, Clement put user fees on the table in a speech to senior government executives charged with finding $4 billion a year in savings as part of Ottawa's deficit-elimination plan.
He told officials to develop a full range of options, including business consolidation and user fees.
Now Clement says the government does not believe Canadians should be "user-feed to death."
In the election campaign, Prime Minister Stephen Harper pledged to eliminate the deficit in four years.
To accomplish the feat, Ottawa is counting on a combination of increased revenues from a growing economy and the most stringent spending controls since the cuts of the mid-1990s.
