Alberta Finance Minister Joe Ceci unveiled Alberta's 2018 - 2019 budget today (March 22) in the legislature.  

 

The document calls for total revenue of $47.9 billion and spending of $56.2 billion for a deficit of $8.8 billion once a $500 million cushion to guard against low energy prices is factored in.

This is the fourth deficit for the NDP government.  

The current plan to balance the books by 2023 relies heavily on the construction of three pipelines, including the controversial Trans Mountain project through B.C.  It also counts on more revenue being generated by the federal carbon tax.

Ceci said the pipelines would get built because they're important to both Alberta and Canada.  

The five-year plan calls for the debt to accumulate and reach $95.7 billion by the time the government eliminates the deficits

Those figures didn't appear in the budget but were provided by finance officials responding to questions from reporters at a pre-budget news conference.  

There are no changes to the personal or corporate income tax rates and no increase in liquor or tobacco taxes.

The budget did include money to build 20 new schools and hire 600 new teachers.   Rocky View Schools said earlier that they plan to ask the government for four new schools over the next three years. 

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