The total payroll tax bill for each middle-class worker increased by $818 this year alone
Political pundits are twisting themselves into pretzels arguing mandatory Canada Pension Plan and Employment Insurance payments are not a tax. They’re missing the point: the government is taking too much money from Canadians. If you make $65,000 this year, then the federal government is taking nearly $4,500 directly from your pay through CPP and EI…
Hardworking Ontario families need all the help they can get
If Ontario Premier Doug Ford doesn’t want to be the grinch who stole Christmas, he’ll start working on a plan to make Ontario’s temporary gas tax cut permanent. Ontario drivers are now at the midpoint of the Ford government’s temporary gas tax relief period. Beginning on July 1, the province reduced its gas excise tax…
Hard-working, struggling Canadians need meaningful tax relief
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s approach to making life more affordable is like giving somebody a bike after totalling their car and then waiting for a big thank you. Instead of reversing his recent tax hikes, Trudeau’s latest crack at making life more affordable includes GST rebates and borrowing another $2 billion to cover some rent…
It is time for tax reductions to help consumers weather food inflation
Did you know that there is a global food security index? The well-known magazine The Economist has just published its 11th edition. The Global Food Security Index comprises a set of indices from more than 120 different countries. Since 2012, the index has been based on four main pillars: food access, safety, sustainable development, and…
Canadian workers will pay the price of this silly political posturing
Hundreds of people who pull wrenches for a living have a unique point of view on Ottawa’s new luxury tax. Most of us might not be too bothered by a tax on super cars and private jets, and even the rich might not lose much sleep over paying a bit more for a yacht or…
Increases to the Marginal Effective Tax Rate taking even more of your hard-earned money
New Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre is correct when he says governments discourage work with taxes and clawbacks. The Marginal Effective Tax Rate (METR) measures what government takes from each new dollar earned in taxes and clawbacks of income-related government benefits. In his leadership acceptance speech and an August 19 video called “Make work pay,” Poilievre…
Ottawa does not fully understand the consequences of its policy
By Nathalie Elgrably-Levy and Valentin Petkantchin The federal government’s new luxury goods tax, which took effect on September 1, targets luxury cars, private jets and yachts. Without originality, it is part of the traditional logic of taxation which aims to “make the rich pay.” However, we often forget the economic, indirect and longer-term effects, which…
Alberta is the only province with no PST, saving its people billions of dollars per year
Here's the good news: the majority of United Conservative Party leadership candidates have pledged not to impose a Provincial Sales Tax (PST) or raise taxes on Albertans. Six UCP leadership candidates signed the Canadian Taxpayers Federation Pledge, which reads: "I will never impose a Provincial Sales Tax and I will not raise taxes." All of…
12-pack of Coke or Pepsi will be slapped with nearly a dollar in new taxes
Everything Newfoundlanders put in their grocery cart is getting more expensive, and Newfoundland Premier Andrew Furey is about to hit one of their few affordable treats with a new hidden tax. He’ll tell you it’s because he wants Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to lose weight. But here’s the reality: it’s just another tax. As of Sept.…
It’s time for Ottawa politicians to take deficits seriously again
There’s finally some good news for taxpayers: Instead of balancing the budget in 2070, the Parliamentary Budget Officer’s numbers now show Canadians can look forward to a balanced budget in only … wait for it … 20 years. Last year the Canadians Taxpayers Federation used PBO data to show the feds wouldn’t balance the budget…