Search

Search results

1. Kenney government fails to restore Alberta’s income tax advantage

   Appeared in the Edmonton Sun, March 4, 2020 In six short years, Alberta has gone from having the lowest top combined federal/provincial or federal/state personal income tax (PIT) rate in Canada or the United States to having one of the highest. The Kenney ...

2. Kenney shouldn’t dither—upcoming budget should be bullish on deficit, taxes

   Appeared in the Calgary Herald, October 15, 2019 After a panel led by Janice MacKinnon, former Saskatchewan finance minister, released its “Blue Ribbon” report on Alberta’s finances last month, many observers thought Alberta was finally getting serious ...

3. All of Canada benefits from prosperity in Alberta

   Appeared in the Edmonton Sun, June 12, 2019 On Tuesday in Calgary, thousands gathered outside the Global Petroleum Show in downtown Calgary in support of the oil and gas industry, as Ottawa plans to make a final decision on the Trans Mountain pipeline ...

4. Can Alberta Restore Its Tax Advantage?

   Until recently, Alberta benefitted from one of the most pro-growth tax policy environments in North America. As recently as 2014, the province had the lowest top statutory combined federal and provincial or state personal income tax (PIT) and corporate ...

5. Gaining advantage—eliminating provincial capital gains taxes in Alberta

   Appeared in the National Post, December 18, 2018 Until recently, Alberta maintained one of the most competitive tax regimes in North America. In 2014, for instance, the province had the lowest corporate income tax rate and lowest top personal income tax ...

6. The Decline of the Other Alberta Advantage: Debt Service Costs in Alberta Are Rising

   Throughout recent history, Albertans have enjoyed a substantial fiscal advantage other Canadian taxpayers, resulting from the fact that government debt interest payments in Alberta have been far lower than in any other province. For example, in ...

7. Alberta’s tax advantage—not what it used to be

   Up until last year, Alberta had an unambiguous tax advantage over every Canadian province and most U.S. states (particularly on personal income tax rates). Fast forward to today. With increases to personal, corporate, excise and carbon ...

8. Spending restraint can limit debt accumulation in Alberta

   In a recent study, we showed that the spending choices Alberta's provincial government makes in the years ahead will play an important role in shaping the pace of provincial debt accumulation between now and 2019/20. The Government ...

9. Misguided policies eroding Alberta’s tax advantage

   Appeared in the Calgary Sun, March 19, 2016 Alberta Finance Minister Joe Ceci recently told a business audience that Alberta has the “lowest taxes overall of any province or territory” in Canada. A year ago, this was unambiguously true. At that time, ...

10. Troubled Waters—Alberta’s self-inflicted wounds

    Over the past year or so, Alberta’s economy has been hit hard by external factors beyond the control of the provincial government. Of greatest importance, of course, has been the fall in commodity prices which has led to a recession in ...