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1. 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 ...

2. France’s failed tax and spend experiment

   Appeared in the Calgary Herald When French President Francois Hollande visited Canada recently, one hopes the Gallic leader looked around. If he did, he would have noticed a stark difference in the economic opportunities between the two countries with the ...

3. More taxes buy more government; not a more civilized society

   Appeared in the Ottawa Citizen "Income tax has made more liars out of the American people than golf," said the American humourist Will Rogers. Indeed, but let’s not stop there. In Canada, debates over taxes, government and civilization lead some ...

4. Don't let mythical thinking on taxes mess up Alberta

   Appeared in the Calgary Herald As Albertans approach another provincial budget, the usual fables about Alberta's finances often crop up. To inoculate ourselves in advance, let's ponder two myths. Myth Number One: Alberta's wealth is a ...

5. Make the rich pay? They already pay enough

   Appeared in the Globe and Mail About five years ago, I became acquainted with a retired fellow by the name of Jim Tocher. Then in his eighties, Mr. Tocher was a classic Canadian success story. Born in Golden, B.C., he spent his early years in Yoho ...

6. Yes, your property taxes really are soaring

   Appeared in the Calgary Herald It's not your imagination. Your property taxes really are shooting higher. For those who haven't paid attention to their property tax bill until recently, let me offer some calculations: Had the city and province ...

7. Why Calgary's property taxes are skyrocketing

   Appeared in the Calgary Herald If you live in Calgary and you check your property tax bill this month, rest assured you are not imagining things: property taxes really are on the rise and way above inflation. Some background: Calgary's property tax ...

8. Save Alberta from the high-taxers

   Appeared in the Calgary Herald and Financial Post In a recent debate on the pages of the National Post many Albertans might have missed, two economists, Rhys Kesselman from Simon Fraser University, and Jack Mintz from the University of Calgary, sparred ...

9. Taxes and civilization: let's not overdo it

   Appeared in the Calgary Herald For those who file their taxes at the last moment and cut an extra cheque to government, right about now is unlikely to be their favourite time of year. For what it’s worth, it might be of some comfort to know taxes have ...

10. Want a sales tax? Drop another tax

    Appeared in the Calgary Herald There might be a thousand reasons why people hate sales taxes. Here are three: First, they’re visible; second, in Alberta, where no provincial sales tax exists, there is justifiable pride that people have escaped at least ...