(Queen’s Park) – With the Liberals’ 2005 budget presented today, the McGuinty government has lived up to its reputation as a ‘tax and spend’ government that has no clear plan for Ontario’s economic future.

“It’s clear from today’s budget that the McGuinty Liberals had a massive windfall in revenues, yet still broke their promise to balance the budget by 2007,” said Dunlop. “They could have invested in more services, while reducing the deficit and providing tax relief, but instead, they just spent more money – period.”

The 2005 budget shows the McGuinty Liberals are clearly making things up as they go along. For the fourth time in two years, they changed their plan to balance the budget. The McGuinty Liberals committed initially during the election to balance the budget in their first year, then changed their pledge in the 2004 budget to balance by 2007, and now, they hope to balance the books by 2008-09.

Despite a $2.6-billion increase in revenues last year, over and above the $2.4-billion illegal health tax, the McGuinty Liberals still managed to add $800 million to the deficit for 2004-05. And under today’s budget, the McGuinty Liberals will add almost $75 per second to the provincial debt.

“Even under the burden of higher home energy costs, and higher personal, corporate and property taxes, the people of this province exceeded all expectations and produced billions more in taxes for the McGuinty Liberals,” said Dunlop. “Unfortunately, in the 2005 budget, the McGuinty Liberals thanked everyone for their efforts, except hard-working Ontario families.”

Dunlop also noted that the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services was one of the most severely affected government ministries by this budget. The Ministry’s budget was virtually flat lined with an increase of less than one percent.

“As Critic for Community Safety and Correctional Services, I’ve been disappointed once again by a McGuinty budget,” said Dunlop. “Police services across this province need action now on McGuinty’s promise to put 1,000 new officers on our streets, yet this budget is silent on this promise.”

Dunlop added, “You simply can’t trust a government that not only breaks its promises, but also breaks its already broken promises. How can the people of Ontario believe anything the McGuinty Liberals say?”