'Politics outweighed other things today,' Ceci says about PST discussion

Finance Minister Joe Ceci is discounting a suggestion by economists from Canada’s banks that a consumption tax would be a good way to diversify Alberta’s revenue sources.

“The idea of fiscal room did come up,” Ceci said Thursday after meeting with eight senior and chief bank economists. “We talked about the politics of it. We talked about the impact it would make on our budget.

“Politics outweighed other things today.”

Ceci said the government won’t introduce a tax because Albertans don’t want one. Instead, he says the government will focus on cutting spending. 

Some of the economists who met with Ceci suggested