Municipal government spending in the province has grown 2.5 times faster than general inflation and two times faster than population.
ontario budget
The government will increase program spending by $4.2 billion in 2024/25 and $3.5 billion in 2025/26.
By the end of this fiscal year, deficits under the Ford government will total a projected $41.7 billion over six years.
The province plans to spend $14.1 billion on debt interest in 2023/24.
The budget projects a deficit of $1.3 billion this year.
At 53.53 per cent, the province has the third-highest top personal income tax rate in Canada and the United States.
Under the Ford government, inflation-adjusted per-person spending has increased by 2.4 per cent annually.
The province holds $380.4 billion in debt—or nearly $26,000 per Ontarian.
Government-sector workers in the province enjoy a 10.3 per cent wage premium over their private-sector counterparts.
Between 2018/19 and 2022/23, the Ontario government expects a 6 per cent increase in inflation-adjusted per-person spending.