Posted by Sudbury Northern Life 
The mining sector, like many businesses, will get some benefit from the federal budget, said Dick DeStefano, executive director of the local mining cluster of companies, SAMSSA.
"The impact is in the details and stages of implementation
and whether the Liberals can support these programs," said
DeStefano, in a release.
 
Some of the budget highlights according to SAMSSA and the
Mining Association of Canada (MAC) are:
-the extension of the temporary 15 per cent Mineral Exploration Tax Credit for another year for those who invest in flow-through shares for mineral exploration
-adding an additional $100 million over three years in the Aboriginal Skills and Employment partnership initiative, aimed at harnessing efforts of the public and private sectors to enhance skills of aboriginals
-increased access to work-sharing agreements of the EI program designed to help businesses avoid layoffs by offering EI benefits to workers willing to work a reduced work week while their employer recovers from the recession
-extending for a further two years the 50 per cent accelerated capital cost allowance (CCA) rate for investment in machinery and equipment
-staying the course on reducing corporate income taxes from 21 per cent to 15 per cent by 2012, plus continuing the $100 million, five year investment in geological mapping
-a two-year 100 per cent capital cost allowance rate for investment in computers
-$750 million to the Canada Foundation for Innovation to support leading-edge research infrastructure
-$13 billion to increase the lending of crown corporations, of which $5 billion will be delivered through the new Business Credit Availability Program
-$12 billion for a Canadian Secured Credit facility to support the financing of vehicles and equipment
-$200 million over two years to support industrial research for small and medium-sized businesses
-an increase to $500,000 in the amount of small business income eligibility for the reduced federal tax rate of 11 per cent
