Bringing government employee wages and benefits in line with private-sector norms is key to balancing B.C.’s budget
By Charles Lammam, Hugh MacIntyre and Milagros Palacios The Fraser Institute During last year’s election campaign and in his first full budget as premier, John Horgan promised to balance British Columbia’s operating budget. If his NDP government remains committed to this promise, the coming negotiations on compensation with 183 public-sector unions will be critically important. After…
The government should stop kicking the can down the road and reduce federal spending now to avoid future tax increases
By Charles Lammam and Hugh MacIntyre The Fraser Institute The federal government ran a $19.4-billion budget deficit in 2017-18, according its fiscal monitor. And this government’s appetite for deficit spending shows no signs of relenting. In fact, there’s no plan to balance the federal budget for the next three decades. With deficits becoming common again,…
Private pensions face regulatory burdens that the Canada Pension Plan does not
By Moin A. Yahya and Charles Lammam The Fraser Institute In 2016, in fulfillment of a campaign promise, the federal government reached an agreement with the provinces to expand the Canada Pension Plan. Consequently, mandatory CPP contributions from working Canadians will increase steadily between January 2019 and 2025. Expansion proponents have used many faulty claims…
A work-based subsidy increases the income of the working poor without making it harder for employers to hire less-skilled workers
By Charles Lammam and Hugh MacIntyre The Fraser Institute On June 1, the minimum wage in British Columbia increased from $11.35 to $12.65 per hour – the first in a series of hikes en route to $15.20 in 2021. That’s a 34 per cent increase in three years. Despite claims from Premier John Horgan and…
We need to scrap corporate welfare in order to restore Canada’s business tax advantage over the U.S.
It’s been more than two months since federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau said he would study Canada’s crumbling business tax advantage – while cautioning against any “impulsive” measures in response to tax changes south of the border that overnight wiped away a decade-plus business tax advantage over the United States. Yet, despite a chorus of…
Government policies mean the province is gaining an international reputation as a place where major projects can’t get done
By Charles Lammam and Hugh MacIntyre The Fraser Institute More British Columbians think the province is on the wrong track than the right one, according to a new Angus Reid poll. And there’s good reason to be concerned about B.C.’s policy direction. Since assuming office last year, Premier John Horgan’s government has done little to…
Such a program would weaken the incentives to work for lower-income Canadians and people not strongly tied to the labour force
By Charles Lammam and Hugh MacIntyre The Fraser Institute Almost 50 years ago, a Canadian Senate report declared that a basic income “is an idea whose time has come.” Ever since, the idea resurfaces every so often, with support that spans the political spectrum. Most recently, a Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) report reinvigorated the debate…
The better plan would be a work-based subsidy that provides a cash transfer to working families with incomes below a certain level
By Charles Lammam and Hugh MacIntyre The Fraser Institute The Ontario Liberals and Ontario Progressive Conservatives both recently announced how they intend to help the working poor if they win the June 7 provincial election. Unfortunately, neither party has the right policy for targeting those who need help the most. First consider the Liberal approach…
When you add up the eliminated credits, you get a very different perspective on the total income tax changes
By Charles Lammam, Jason Clemens and Hugh MacIntyre The Fraser Institute With tax season just behind us, many Canadians are realizing the full weight of the income taxes they paid in 2017. And some may wonder about the much-heralded middle-class tax cut promised by the governing Liberals. In reality, very few Canadian families received an income…
A mere 10.6% of the nearly $100 billion in new infrastructure spending is for trade and transportation
By Charles Lammam and Hugh MacIntyre The Fraser Institute In 2015, Prime Minster Justin Trudeau’s government came into office on the promise of running small annual budget deficits of no more than $10 billion for three years. The intent was to finance new spending on infrastructure projects that would help improve the economy. That’s not…
By Charles Lammam, Hugh MacIntyre and Milagros Palacios The Fraser Institute During last year’s election campaign and in his first full budget as premier, John Horgan promised to balance British Columbia’s operating budget. If his NDP government remains committed to this promise, the coming negotiations on compensation with 183 public-sector unions will be critically important. After…
