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1. 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: ...

2. The Economic Costs of Capital Gains Taxes in Canada

   Capital gains taxes, like all forms of taxation, raise revenues for the government. But capital gains taxes impose significant costs on the economy. The cost of capital gains taxes is not limited to the amount of tax revenue collected. Capital gains taxes ...

3. The Economic Costs of Increased Marginal Tax Rates in Canada

   Economists often focus on marginal tax rates (the extra tax an individual (or firm) will owe to the government for engaging in a little more of the taxed activity) as particularly important for altering economic behaviour. The marginal tax rate is ...

4. Tax Compliance Costs in Canada

   Appeared in the Red Deer Advocate As the stress of the April 30th tax filing deadline fades and the shock realization by most Canadians regarding how much income and payroll taxes they pay subsides, it’s worthwhile considering the costs imposed on ...

5. Not Your Prairie NDP

   Appeared in the Vancouver Sun Too often in politics, particularly during election campaigns, citizens conflate political brands with policy. That is, too often we make assumptions about the policies of political parties based on a perception rather than ...

6. Are All Tax Cuts Good?

   Appeared in the Globe and Mail Economy Lab Milton Friedman was famous for his one-liners. One of his most repeated lines was: “I am in favor of cutting taxes under any circumstances and for any excuse, for any reason, whenever it's possible.” ...

7. The tax credit snowball; More people don't have any skin in the game- they don't pay taxes

   Appeared in the Financial Post With economic growth slowing and a goal of balancing the budget by 2015, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty will have little fiscal room for major new initiatives in Thursday's federal budget. The risk is that the ...

8. Tax Payers and Tax Takers

   The traditional definition of tax progressivity is being rewritten and this change could have serious ramifications for democratic decision-making. Up to now, tax progressivity has meant that, as an individual or household earned more income, they not ...

9. Opportunities for Canada from the New American Government

   Appeared in iPolitics The uncertainty that continues to impede the U.S. recovery coupled with political gridlock in Washington poses significant economic threats to not only the United States but also countries like Canada that trade with the U.S. However ...

10. Hiking taxes on upper-income Canadians comes with a cost

    Appeared in the Vancouver Sun A policy issue that permeated political debates around the world in 2012 was the idea of raising taxes on high-income earners. In the U.S., it stood front and centre in President Obama’s re-election. Several governments in ...