Who was Barbara Mitchell?
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Taxes versus the Necessities of Life: The Canadian Consumer Tax Index 2021 edition

The Canadian Consumer Tax Index, 2021 Edition is a new study that finds even with a substantial COVID-driven reduction in tax revenue, the average Canadian family still spent over 36 per cent of its income on taxes in 2020 compared to 35.4 per cent on basic necessities—more than housing, food and clothing costs combined. Since 1961, the average Canadian family’s total tax bill has increased nominally by 1,992 per cent, eclipsing increases in annual housing costs (1,671 per cent), clothing (629 per cent) and food (767 per cent).

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An International Comparison of Capital Expenditures

An International Comparison of Capital Expenditures is a new study that finds the growth rate of overall capital expenditures in Canada slowed substantially from 2005 to 2019. Critically, from 2015 to 2019, the growth rate was lower than in virtually any other period since 1970, with corporate investment dropping below other developed countries such as the United States, Sweden, France, Norway, and Australia.

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Measuring Progressivity in Canada’s Tax System

Measuring Progressivity in Canada’s Tax System finds that the top 20 per cent of income-earning families pay nearly two-thirds (63.2 per cent) of Canada’s personal income taxes (provincial and federal) and more than half (54.7 per cent) of total taxes including sales and property taxes. Conversely, the bottom 20 per cent of income-earning families pay 1.0 per cent of all personal income taxes and 2.3 per cent of total taxes, due partly to the progressivity of Canada’s tax system where the share of taxes paid typically increases as incomes rise.

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The Essential Ronald Coase spotlights the British economist whose insights into transaction costs changed the way economists understood the costs and potential barriers to exchanging goods and services.

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Industry-Level Private Sector Capital Expenditures in Canada: 1990-2019

Industry-Level Private Sector Capital Expenditures in Canada: 1990-2019 examines how, despite the absence of a major recession (as Canada experienced in the early 1990s and 2008-09), more domestic industries experienced decreases in capital investment from 2015 to 2019 than at any other time since 1990. Critically, a majority of industries decreased investment in machinery, equipment and intellectual property products (such as software), which all significantly impact productivity.

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Off Target: The Economics Literature Does Not Support the 1.5°C Climate Ceiling

Off Target: The Economics Literature Does Not Support the 1.5°C Climate Ceiling finds that the government policies required to implement the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s goal, to limit the global average temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius, would impose social and economic costs that far exceed the expected benefits.

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Are Our Labour Laws Still Relevant for Teleworking?

Are Our Labour Laws Still Relevant for Teleworkers? finds that many labour policies and regulations in Canada are outdated and incompatible in a post-COVID world. The study also estimates that 25 per cent of working Canadians will continue to work remotely after COVID—although roughly 40 per cent could do so.

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