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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 26, 2013 Restaurant industry breaths a sigh of relief as New Brunswick delivers tough

budget FREDERICTON Restaurant and bar owners in New Brunswick are relieved the provincial budget delivered today did not increase the HST or increase beverage alcohol prices - an approach the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association (CRFA) believes will help protect jobs in the important foodservice industry. To deal with a spiraling provincial deficit, government instead chose to increase personal and corporate income taxes while reining in government spending. The government deserves credit for making tough decisions to reduce their deficit without targeting restaurant businesses and their customers, says Luc Erjavec, CRFAs Atlantic Canada Vice President. Our members are relieved there is no increase to the HST or beverage alcohol prices, and that government has clearly signaled it wants the province to be poised for economic activity and growth. This budget controls costs and government spending while still maintaining some of the most competitive personal and corporate tax rates in the region. This is a tough budget for tough economic times, says Erjavec. But in the long run, businesses and residents of the province will benefit. As one of New Brunswicks largest private-sector employers, the restaurant industry directly employs nearly 23,000 people at more than 1,600 commercial establishments. Twenty-two per cent of Canadians were first employed by the restaurant industry, making it the number one source of first jobs. CRFA is one of Canadas largest business associations, with more than 30,000 members representing restaurants, bars, caterers, institutions and other foodservice providers. Canadas $63-billion foodservice industry employs more than one million people in communities across the country. -30Contact: Luc Erjavec, 902-209-0804 (cell) or lerjavec@crfa.ca; Prasanthi Vasanthakumar, Communications Specialist, 1-800-387-5649, ext. 4254 or pvasanthakumar@crfa.ca.

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