HALIFAX - A pay freeze for members of the Nova Scotia legislature would be extended under the Financial Measures Act, tabled Wednesday by the Liberal government.
The MLA pay freeze was implemented in 2015 and was to run until the end of this year, but the change now ensures no pay increase until a scheduled review after the next general election.
Finance Minister Karen Casey says the freeze is appropriate given the government has asked Nova Scotians to make sacrifices as it deals with a tight fiscal situation.
Casey says there are currently no plans to look at MLA pensions as part of restraint.
The act also enshrines tax measures in the budget, including an increase in the basic personal exemption that will result in the elimination of the provincial portion of income tax for 60,000 lower income Nova Scotians and a small business tax break.
The legislation is introduced each year and gives the government legislative authority to implement measures in the provincial budget.
