Taxes

A New Federal Fiscal Framework for Canada finds that if the federal government reduced program spending by only 2.3 per cent over two years and eliminated a host of tax expenditures, it could balance the budget and reduce personal income tax rates affecting most Canadians.

The Case for Replacing British Columbia’s Inefficient Provincial Sales Tax with a Made-in-BC VAT is a new study that finds replacing the current B.C. Provincial Sales Tax with a Harmonized Sales Tax (or a Value Added Tax) would reduce taxes on business inputs, particularly machinery and equipment, which discourages investment, lowers productivity, and slows economic growth. Removing this tax on machinery and equipment could increase annual incomes in B.C. by an estimated $700 to $1,700 per worker.