Budget pre-game: Bethlenfalvy's big hints

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ABOVE THE FOLD

HINT, HINT — Finance Minister PETER BETHLENFALVY tees up the spring budget tomorrow with a pre-game speech to the Empire Club — offering what could be the clearest signals yet about what the Ford government plans to put on the books by the March 31 deadline.

People in the know tell me they expect this budget to be “tight,” even as the government has been on a bit of a funding announcement streak lately, including a $6.4-billion boost in core funding for post-secondary institutions.

Insiders also aren’t holding their breath for a detailed path back to balance. Bethlenfalvy has been cagey when asked directly about getting back into the black, while the province’s fiscal watchdog projects deficits stretching to at least 2030.

Still, there may be some big-ticket nuggets in store: Sources point to the possibility of scrapping the HST on all new home purchases — not just for first-time buyers — something Premier DOUG FORD has hinted at (even if he had his “knuckles rapped,” Be…