A Poll of Canadians on the Average Family’s Taxes

Summary

• As the total tax bill continues to rise for the average Canadian family, it’s critical to better understand the opinions of Canadians on both their tax burdens and the value of services they receive from governments in return for their tax dollars.
• The Fraser Institute commissioned a poll from Leger in early 2023 that surveyed 1,554 Canadians about their opinions on the tax burdens imposed on families.
• There is a large discrepancy between what the average family actually pays in total taxes versus what Canadians believe the average family should be paying.
• 74% of Canadians surveyed feel that the average family is being over-taxed by the federal, provincial, and local governments.
• 80% of Canadians support the average family paying 40% or less of their income in total taxes to all levels of government. Over half (52%) of Canadians believe the average family should pay 25% or less of their income to governments.
• Only 6% of Canadians expressed support for the idea that the tax burden should represent more than 40% of the average family’s income. This is especially interesting considering that the average Canadian family paid 45.2% of its income to the federal, provincial, and local governments in 2022.
• Nearly half (44%) of Canadians feel they receive poor or very poor value from the services they receive from governments like health care, education, police, roads, and national defence.
• Only 16% of Canadians believe they are getting good or great value from the services they receive from governments.