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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 versus the Necessities of Life: The Canadian Consumer Tax Index, 2018 Edition

   The Canadian Consumer Tax Index tracks the total tax bill of the average Canadian family from 1961 to 2017. Including all types of taxes, that bill has increased by 2,112% since 1961. Taxes have grown much more rapidly than any other single ...

3. 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 ...

4. Taxes versus the Necessities of Life: The Canadian Consumer Tax Index, 2017 Edition

   The Canadian Consumer Tax Index tracks the total tax bill of the average Canadian family from 1961 to 2016. Including all types of taxes, that bill has increased by 2,006% since 1961. Taxes have grown much more rapidly than any other single ...

5. 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 ...

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. Taxes versus the Necessities of Life: The Canadian Consumer Tax Index, 2016 Edition

   The Canadian Consumer Tax Index tracks the total tax bill of the average Canadian family from 1961 to 2015. Including all types of taxes, that bill has increased by 1,939% since 1961. Taxes have grown much more rapidly than any other single ...

9. Taxes versus the Necessities of Life: The Canadian Consumer Tax Index, 2015 Edition

   The Canadian Consumer Tax Index tracks the total tax bill of the average Canadian family from 1961 to 2014. Including all types of taxes, that bill has increased by 1,886% since 1961. Taxes have grown much more rapidly than any other single expenditure ...

10. 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. ...