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1. Trudeau government making wrong type of tax cuts

   Appeared in National Newswatch, January 5, 2020 As expected, Finance Minister Bill Morneau recently confirmed the federal government’s intention to reduce personal income taxes for everyone except “higher-income earners.” With total taxes (federal, ...

2. Competitiveness should be a top priority for finance ministers

   Serious concerns about the country’s competitiveness hovered above talks this week at the federal-provincial finance ministers meeting in Ottawa. Which is not surprising. Canada has become a less appealing place to do business due to ...

3. Canadians—there was no middle-class tax cut

   Appeared in the Vancouver Province, April 30, 2018 With tax season just behind us, many Canadians are realizing the full weight of the income taxes they paid in 2017, and some may wonder about the much-heralded middle-class tax cut promised by the ...

4. Trudeau government’s small business tax changes won’t help the middle class

   Appeared in the Vancouver Sun, October 23, 2017 The Trudeau Liberals were elected for, among other reasons, their commitment to a more prosperous economy, particularly one where the benefits flowed to the middle-class. Since coming to power in 2015, there ...

5. Personal income taxes and the capital gains tax

   Numerous studies have demonstrated the high costs imposed on economies that maintain capital gains taxes, particularly those such as Canada that are relatively small and trade-oriented. The source of these costs is that capital gains ...

6. The History and Development of Canada's Personal Income Tax: Zero to 50 in 100 Years

   In recognition of the 100th anniversary of Canada’s personal income tax (PIT), the Fraser Institute asked a group of accomplished scholars to analyze and assess the emergence, development, and current state of Canada’s federal personal income tax. The ...

7. Innovators needed for an innovative Canada

   Appeared in the New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal, March 29, 2017 One of the pillars of the federal government’s laudable focus on improving the economy, particularly for middle-class Canadians, is an emphasis on innovation and entrepreneurship. Indeed, it ...

8. Lessons for the Liberals from Obama and economic growth

   Appeared in the Toronto Sun, November 13, 2015 There are clear parallels between the campaigns and governing approaches of President Obama and the Trudeau Liberals. These range from the superficial (similar campaign slogans) to substantive –similar focus ...

9. What are the top three business/economic issues federal parties should be addressing in the current federal campaign?

   Appeared in Business in Vancouver, September 29, 2015 With a relatively weak Canadian economy, depressed commodity prices and the myriad of international economic issues (i.e. uncertainty in China), federal parties should offer solutions to the economic ...

10. Income splitting not the best economic bang for the buck

      After seven consecutive years of budget deficits, the federal government is finally set to balance the budget. While the government has long expressed that tax relief is its top post-deficit priority, the major question has always been: what form will ...