Provincial Prosperity

— Jun 28, 2024
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The Case for Replacing British Columbia’s Inefficient Provincial Sales Tax with a Made-in-BC VAT

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.

— Jun 20, 2024
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Alberta’s ‘Spending Restraint’ in Perspective

Alberta’s “Spending Restraint” in Perspective is a new study that finds although the Alberta government’s current plan to restrain program spending increases is a constructive way to bring provincial spending more in line with sustainable revenues, doing so will be hindered by increases in per person spending introduced over the last two years. In fact, program spending this year will reach $14,334 per Albertan, which is $1,603 more per person (inflation-adjusted) than the government planned to spend this year as outlined in the 2022 mid-year budget update.

— May 22, 2024
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Funding for BC Independent Schools Saves Government Money

Funding for BC Independent Schools Saves Government Money finds that, despite misperceptions, government funding for independent schools in British Columbia saves the province (i.e. provincial taxpayers) millions of dollars every year. Looking specifically at the costs, even if just 10 per cent of independent school students migrated to government public schools because the B.C. government eliminated independent school funding, education spending would increase by $51.6 million per year.

— May 9, 2024
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Ontario’s Two Lost Economic Decades: 2002-2022

Ontario's Two Lost Economic Decades: 2002-2022 finds that, from using several key indicators of Ontario’s economic performance from 2002-2022, minimal economic progress was made for Ontarians during this time—and the province lost ground relative to much of the country.

— May 7, 2024
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Understanding British Columbia’s Public Management Challenge

Understanding British Columbia’s Public Management Challenge finds that despite substantial spending increases by the B.C. government, the province’s health-care wait times have increased and student test scores have declined.

— Apr 25, 2024
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Canadian History Untold: Assessing the K–12 Curriculum Guides in British Columbia and Ontario

Canadian History Untold: Assessing the K-12 Curriculum Guides in British Columbia and Ontario finds that the amount of Canadian history being taught to Ontario and BC students in K-12 is limited. In Ontario, what little Canadian history is taught doesn’t follow a logical, chronological order, and in BC’s case, it is overly-focussed on discriminatory events in Canada’s past.

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