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1. The average Canadian family spends more than $37,000 per year on taxes

   Appeared in the Toronto Sun, August 14, 2018 Have you ever wondered what the most expensive annual budget item is for the average Canadian family? If housing is the first thing that comes to mind, then you’d be surprised to find out you’re wrong. In ...

2. Taxes—the average Canadian family’s largest expense

   Appeared in the Financial Post, August 24, 2017 With home prices rising across the country, many of us would likely assume that housing costs (including rent and mortgage payments) are the most expensive budget item for the average Canadian family. In ...

3. Taxation among First Nations would encourage greater accountability and good governance

   Appeared in the Regina Leader-Post, May 5, 2017 The Cree Nation government in the James Bay region of Quebec recently approved a draft Cree constitution and governance agreement that—among other items—would give the Cree the power to collect taxes. In an ...

4. Canadians spend billions complying with complex personal income tax system

   Appeared in the Financial Post, April 27, 2017 With the tax-filing deadline just around the corner, it’s worth reflecting on how much the personal income tax (PIT) has changed since it was first introduced 100 years ago. For example, Ottawa now collects ...

5. Spreading the Economic Freedom Message

   Appeared in Fraser Insight, January 2017 Economic freedom is one of the main drivers of prosperity, as the Fraser Institute’s Economic Freedom of North America index (EFNA) has illustrated—and hundreds of independent studies have confirmed. For a dozen ...

6. ‘Anti-tax’ accusation is simply wrong

   Appeared in the Toronto Star, August 30, 2016 A recent column by the Toronto Star editorial board had some choice words about a recent Fraser Institute study finding that the total amount of taxes paid by the average Canadian family now consumes over 42 ...

7. Canadian families spend more on taxes than the basic necessities of life

   Appeared in the Toronto Sun, August 25, 2016 Pop quiz—what’s your family’s largest expense? Many Canadians might say housing or perhaps food. But in reality, taxes consume more of the average Canadian family’s household income than anything else. When we ...

8. Money kept by Canadian taxpayers is not a “loss”

   Appeared in the Calgary Herald With tax season at hand, here’s a useful tip for any tax-weary Canadian. When some people refer to income or other money not taxed as a “loss” to government, remember that they may merely be using technical language. In ...

9. Quebec’s deep-rooted fiscal problems need a big fix

   Appeared in the Montreal Gazette There are times when a problem can be solved with a small fix and perhaps a little tinkering. And there are times when a big fix or fundamental reform is needed. Quebec’s government finances fall into the latter category. ...

10. Prentice’s Path: Getty or Klein?

    Appeared in the Financial Post Alberta Premier Jim Prentice is in the midst of formulating his first budget and the fiscal path of the province while watching oil prices continue to decline. In this environment, the key question for the new premier is: ...