On March 12th, the CCPA released the Alternative Federal Budget 2013: Doing Better Together. This year's AFB shows how growth-killing austerity can be replaced by a plan that strengthens the economy, leads to a better quality of life for all Canadians, and eliminates the deficit by 2016.

This year's Alternative Federal Budget:

• reduces poverty and inequality by investing in child care, pharmacare, affordable housing, income supports, and post-secondary education,

• tackles the ongoing crisis for First Nations housing, drinking water, education,
• implements a long term, transparent and public plan for investments in infrastructure,
• creates 300,000 jobs, lowering the unemployment rate to 6% by 2014, and
• introduces a new top personal income tax bracket, closes the biggest tax loopholes, and introduces a withholding tax on tax havens.

The full budget document, a budget-in-brief, and infographics are available in both English and French at www.policyalternatives.ca/afb2013.

Senior Economist Armine Yalnizyan recently appeared on CBC Toronto's Metro Morning to discuss the Alternative Federal Budget. You can listen to the discussion, here.