Government Spending & Taxes

Prime Ministers and Government Spending, 2019 tracks annual per person program spending (adjusted for inflation) by prime ministers since Confederation, and finds that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has now recorded two of the three years with the highest levels of government spending in Canadian history, including times of war and recession. The all-time high was recorded by Prime Minister Stephen Harper during the 2009 recession.

Reforming Capital Gains Taxes in Alberta finds that Alberta should eliminate the provincial portion of the capital gains tax—lowering it from 24 to 16.5 per cent—to become more competitive with key energy-producing jurisdictions in the United States. Currently nine U.S. states do not impose a state-level capital gains tax, including several key energy-producing states—Texas, Wyoming and Alaska—which directly compete with Alberta for investment, entrepreneurs and even highly-skilled workers.

Capital Investment in Canada: An International Comparison finds that Canada’s anemic growth rate of capital investment—which has slowed to a 40-year low—has lagged behind growth rates in the United States and other developed countries in recent years. Investment growth has been especially weak in Canada’s business sector, particularly in the areas of machinery, equipment and intellectual property.