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Taxing the rich and finding the sweet spot in the tax debate

Sunday, March 17th, 2019

… soaking the top 1 per cent with higher income taxes does not lead to a massive change in government revenues because there simply are not that many of them… Rather than getting caught up in simple fixes to tax rates, Canadians would do well to get behind a review of our tax system to ensure that all its parts – from taxation of small businesses and corporations, to the treatment of capital gains and dividends – helps Canada grow faster.

Tags: budget, economy, featured, ideology, tax
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Time for Canada to tax foreign digital corporations

Saturday, March 16th, 2019

… other countries are coming up with alternatives that apply taxes to the revenues of large digital corporations that won’t necessarily be applied to consumers… In addition to a sales tax, Canada can even the playing field by getting rid of the current deductibility companies receive for foreign internet advertising… A digital tax would go a long way in balancing the playing field for our companies and protecting the thousands of Canadian jobs that contribute to our democracy.

Tags: budget, economy, globalization, ideology, jurisdiction, standard of living
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What to do about housing?

Friday, March 15th, 2019

A policy that increases supply will lower prices and increase quantities, improving both household debt and affordability… The reality is that plenty of land is earmarked for development, but we often lack the necessary infrastructure. Without water, sewage, and highways, why would a developer build? Getting these infrastructure projects going, in tandem with other levels of government, should be job Number 1.

Tags: budget, housing, ideology, standard of living
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Debunking billionaire claims of heroic capitalism

Thursday, March 14th, 2019

… the arrival of modern capitalism has resulted in vast numbers of people being forced to give up a self-supporting existence and ending up as impoverished labourers… Even in the four decades since 1981, there’s been no decline in global poverty… an exception occurred in the period following the Second World War (1945 to 1975) when equality actually increased… largely due to the very progressive tax systems enacted by governments, notably in the Anglo-American countries, including Canada.

Tags: economy, globalization, ideology, poverty, standard of living
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Finnish basic income trial creates happiness, but not jobs

Saturday, February 9th, 2019

In the Finnish experiment, the basic income is below what unemployment benefits pay… The basic income is tax free, but barely enough to live on for someone paying rent, so it keeps pressure on the recipients to join the work force… basic income recipients appeared less stressed, healthier and more confident in the future than a 5,000-member control group of unemployment benefits recipients… those on basic income and the unemployed people in the control group ended up working roughly the same number of days.

Tags: economy, globalization, participation
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Premier needs primer in the value of universal basic income to the economy

Saturday, February 9th, 2019

It might be news to the premier that most poor people in Ontario have jobs — and quite a few put in longer hours than he does. UBI is not a novel concept. Thomas More championed it in Utopia(1516). Canada saw positive outcomes from a 1970s “mincome” experiment in Manitoba, but the project was of insufficient duration to be deemed conclusive.

Tags: budget, economy, featured, Health, housing, ideology, jurisdiction, participation, standard of living
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Full-day kindergarten keeps women in the work force. Let’s not mess with it

Thursday, February 7th, 2019

… since its full deployment, study after study has demonstrated the benefits for children and families. According to the University of Manitoba’s 2014 research, FDK “is especially beneficial for children of low socioeconomic status or educationally disadvantaged backgrounds.” For a government that purports to put Ontarians back to work to even consider changes to full-day kindergarten invites pause…

Tags: budget, child care, economy, ideology, participation, women
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Using boomers short-term could help gap in Nova Scotia labour shortage

Monday, January 28th, 2019

Retired or semi-retired boomers who want to continue to work — albeit in a more flexible, short-term way… can be dropped into situations to handle specific projects or to mentor or train transitioning staff. They also represent a fixed-cost hiring, with no lag time, and no legacy or professional development costs… So while automation, youth attraction/retention and immigration are essential considerations to sustain and grow the economy, so is figuring out how to best accommodate the fastest growing segment of the labour market: boomers choosing to return to the labour force.

Tags: economy, participation, pensions
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Doug Ford is blowing smoke by warning about a recession

Wednesday, January 23rd, 2019

… all the evidence is that Ford is plain wrong about the likely effect of the Trudeau government’s plans for a carbon tax. Ninety per cent of the money collected by Ottawa will be sent back directly to Canadian families, with the rest invested in programs to combat climate change. If there’s a recession on the horizon, it won’t be provoked by that.

Tags: economy, ideology, standard of living, tax
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Social Policy in Ontario