Decades and decades ago, Canada made a deliberate policy choice to use our taxation system to help encourage philanthropy. Such a choice included providing tax-exempt status for registered charities — and tax incentives for donors to make gifts to such organizations — and non-profits. During Canada’s one and only comprehensive taxation review (from 1962–1966), The…

It’s time for a comprehensive tax review, not just one to look good. Adam Smith, the Scottish economist and philosopher, laid out his thoughts on what the four basic tenets of a good taxation system are in The Wealth of Nations, his 1776 landmark writing, as follows: Equity: the taxation of persons should be proportional…

“Tax the rich” has been a popular rallying cry for many people who feel victimized, entitled or have a weak understanding of how Canada and other countries tax their residents and redistribute income.The phrase has for decades been good politics for many left-leaning politicians and political parties who use it, or something similar, to capitalize…

Canada’s top-end personal income tax rates are too high and they must come down, but there are many other tools that governments have to tax you in ways that chip away at your ability to minimize taxation. For example, eliminating indexation on personal credits and/or tax rate brackets — as some provinces have historically done…