Mini-budget leaks

And back-to-office politics

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ABOVE THE FOLD

It’s that time of year again — the pre–Fall Economic Statement drip, where the Ford government scoops itself on just enough good-news nuggets to get a few headlines before the fine print for next week’s mini-budget drops.

The latest morsel: Housing Minister ROB FLACK and Finance Minister PETER BETHLENFALVY unveiled a sales tax rebate for first-time homebuyers, waiving the province’s eight per cent portion of the HST on new homes up to $1 million.

Team Ford says the move could save buyers up to $80,000 (when paired with other measures) — though it’s notably less than the all-out tax holiday for all homebuyers that DOUG FORD mused about this summer before, as he put it, Bethlenfalvy “rapped his knuckles,” suggesting it would punch too big of a hole in the budget.

It’s a politically tidy pivot amid slumping housing starts and a PC government nowhere near its goal of building 1.5 million homes by 2031.

While dangling the dream of affordability ahead o…