No reconciliation between
the Main Estimates spending number and the budget forecast was provided.
There is also a full reconciliation of budget expenses (accrual basis) for 2018 - 19 and
Main Estimates spending (modified cash basis) for 2018 - 19.
In previous blogs, we have detailed the differences in concepts and coverage between Budget expenses and
Main Estimates spending.
Not exact matches
The
main estimates are one of the mechanisms that actually give departments and agencies the authority to
spend public funds.
Third, the Budge presents expenses on a gross basis whereas
spending is on a net basis in the
Main Estimates.
If the government fails to table
Main Estimates on or prior to March 1st, it can not undertake
spending on any of the voted items until Parliamentary approval is granted.
Yet, according to the
Main Estimates for 2011 - 12, «voted»
spending is only expected to be $ 4.4 billion lower.
The Budget would then provide the basis for the
Main Estimates and the statutory spending estimates in the Main Estimates would be identical to those in th
Estimates and the statutory
spending estimates in the Main Estimates would be identical to those in th
estimates in the
Main Estimates would be identical to those in th
Estimates would be identical to those in the Budget.
Comparing
Spending in the
Main Estimates And
Spending in the budget has become like comparing apples and oranges.
In contrast, the
Main Estimates are on a cash basis of accounting, recognizing
spending only when a transfer has been made or a service delivered.
This implies that the Budget should be tabled in late January or in early - to mid-February, in order to give the Treasury Board Secretariat time to make the
Main Estimates of
spending consistent with the economic assumptions and
spending decisions underlying the Budget.
With the upcoming tabling of the 2013 Budget, there will again be major differences between the
Main Estimates and the Budget for total
spending.
Under what are referred to as «supply» rules in Parliament,
Main Estimates, which detail the Government's
spending intentions for the upcoming fiscal year, must be referred to the appropriate Parliamentary Standing Committees for review before March 1st.
The
Main Estimates exclude a number of
spending components included in the Budget.
The above two accounting differences explain about $ 30 billion of the difference between the Budget
estimates of spending and those in the Main E
estimates of
spending and those in the
Main EstimatesEstimates.
New
spending initiatives proposed in the Budget are not incorporated in the
Main Estimates until the Treasury Board has officially approved them.
This is not, however, the case of the
Main Estimates, where some revenues are netted against related
spending.
It is doubtful that the recent classification changes announced by the Department of Finance will be reflected in the
Main Estimates, thereby increasing the confusion between
spending in the
Main Estimates and in the Budget and related documents.
There is absolutely no reason why the
Main Estimates of government spending can not be put on the same basis as the Budget estimates of
Estimates of government
spending can not be put on the same basis as the Budget
estimates of
estimates of
spending.
Five of the seven budgets of the government have been tabled after the
Main Estimates, thereby making the budget estimates of spending inconsistent with the Main Estimates of government
Estimates, thereby making the budget
estimates of spending inconsistent with the Main Estimates of government
estimates of
spending inconsistent with the
Main Estimates of government
Estimates of government
spending.
There is a fourth source of
spending information — The
Main and Supplementary
Estimates, which provide detailed
spending information by departments and agencies.
For example, refundable tax credits such as the Canada Child Tax Benefit, the Working Income Tax Benefit, the Scientific Research and Experiment Development Tax Credit, among others, are classified as expenses in the Budget, but are not included as
spending in the
Main Estimates.
Reconciliation of
Spending:
Estimates and November 2012 Update ($ billions) 2012 - 13 2013 - 14 Difference
Main Estimates Voted 92.0 87.1 -4.9 Statutory 160.0 165.5 5.5 Total 251.9 252.5 0.6 Supplementary
Estimates Voted 6.7 Statutory 0.4 Total 7.1 Total
Estimates Voted 98.7 87.1 -11.6 Statutory 160.4 165.5 5.1 Total 259.0 252.5 -6.5
There is no rational as to why they are not classified as
spending in the
Main and Supplementary
Estimates.
Budget Omnibus Bills should be restricted to proposed tax changes only and all proposed
spending initiatives should be presented either through the
Main Estimates or through separate legislation, submitted to the applicable Parliamentary Committee for review.
This meant that
Main Estimates of government
spending, which were tabled on February 28, 2012, were based on economic assumptions presented in the previous Fall 2011 Update and not those in the 2012 budget.
There is no reason why the
Main Estimates of government spending can not be on the same basis as the Budget estimates of
Estimates of government
spending can not be on the same basis as the Budget
estimates of
estimates of expenses.
The government provides information to Parliament on its
spending intentions through the
Main Estimates, tabled before March 1st of the preceding fiscal year, and Supplementary
Estimates tabled during the course of the fiscal year under review.
There has always been a discrepancy between the
Main Estimates and the Public Accounts when it comes to government
spending.
In the budget, program
spending is forecast to go up and in the
Main Estimates tabled in the same month
spending is forecast to go down.
Reconciliation of
Spending:
Estimates and Budget 2013 ($ billions) 2012 - 13 2013 - 14 Difference
Main Estimates Voted 91.9 87.1 -4.9 Statutory 160.0 165.5 5.5 Total 251.9 252.6 0.7 Supplementary
Estimates Voted 6.7 1.1 Statutory 0.4... Total 7.1 1.1 Total
Estimates Voted 98.5 88.2 -10.3 Statutory 160.4 165.5 5.1 Total 259.0 253.6 -5.4
Supplementary
Estimates include the cost of budget measures, which were not sufficiently developed in time for inclusion in the
Main Estimates or unexpected
spending requirements.
The current government has provided few reconciliations between the Budget
spending projections and
Main Estimates and none between the fall update projections and the
Main Estimates..
[2]
Main Estimates for 2011 - 12: They tell us very little about what Government
Spending will be» www.3dpolicy.ca March 2011
The
Main Estimates consist of three components: Part I, which provides an overview of federal
spending for the upcoming fiscal year; Part II which supports the Appropriation Act and provides details of the
spending to be included in the Appropriation Act; and Part III which includes Reports on Plans and Priorities (RPPs), which provide details on the
spending plans for all departments and agencies.
If the government fails to table
Main Estimates on or prior to March 1st, it would not be able to undertake
spending on any of the «voted «items until Parliamentary approval were granted.
Traditionally, the Budget was tabled before the
Main Estimates, so that the
Main Estimates could be based on the Budget economic and
spending projections.
The President of the Treasury Board indicated that, given that the
Main Estimates are being tabled before the Budget, the
Main Estimates for 2012 - 13 would not include the impact of any of the upcoming proposed
spending reductions.
There are two types of
spending in the
Main Estimates: first, there are «voted» expenditures that require annual approval from Parliament; and second, there are «statutory» expenditures (e.g., major transfers to the provinces and individuals) for which legislation was previously approved setting out the specific terms and conditions under which payments can be made.
When Budget 2014 was tabled before
Main Estimates 2014 - 15, we were naively hoping that the President of the Treasury Board would provide a detailed reconciliation between
spending in the
Main Estimates and
spending in the Budget for 2014 - 15.
It is very difficult, if not impossible, to reconcile
spending in the
Main Estimates with
spending in the budget.
Total
estimated annual income rises to $ 100,322 from $ 88,332 due to three
main factors: 1) I increased the rent of my single family house (Rental Property 1) after
spending about a month trying to find new tenants after my old tenants decided to cut the lease short by 1.5 months.
The Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) has recently begun to provide analytical notes on the
Main and Supplementary
Estimates to assist parliamentarians in their scrutiny of the government
spending.
The
spending estimates, which are tabled by the President of the Treasury Board on behalf of the Government, consist of the Main Estimates, tabled usually a month before the upcoming fiscal year, and a number of Supplementary Estimates tabled during the course of that fis
estimates, which are tabled by the President of the Treasury Board on behalf of the Government, consist of the
Main Estimates, tabled usually a month before the upcoming fiscal year, and a number of Supplementary Estimates tabled during the course of that fis
Estimates, tabled usually a month before the upcoming fiscal year, and a number of Supplementary
Estimates tabled during the course of that fis
Estimates tabled during the course of that fiscal year.
Comparing
Main Estimates to
Main Estimates, one would think that
spending is to decline by $ 10.4 billion between 2010 - 11 and 2011 - 12.
In our view, tabling the Budget after the
Main Estimates undermines the usefulness and credibility of the
spending forecasts in the
Main Estimates.
For 2016 - 17, the Budget forecast total expenses of $ 317.1 billion, while the
Main Estimates projected total
spending of $ 250.1 billion, $ 67 billion lower.
Supplementary
Estimates include
spending requirements included in the Budget which were not sufficiently developed in time for inclusion in the
Main Estimates or have been subsequently refined to reflect current developments.
The Update also included a large number of
spending initiatives (about $ 10 billion over six years), thereby ensuring that these initiatives would be included in
Main Estimates for 2018 - 19 as part of efforts to increase transparency and accountability between the budget expenses and the
Main Estimates expenditures.
Under current House rules,
Main Estimates must be tabled on or before March 1st in order for the Government to receive interim supply (a
spending authority) for the period from the beginning of the fiscal year to late June, when the
Main Estimates are formally approved by Parliament.