We have all heard the expression that nothing is more certain than death and taxes. Last week, the Fraser Institute released a study saying that Quebecers pay more income tax than anyone else in Canada or the United States and that high taxes are the reason for our poor economic performance in the past 10 years. Does anyone not know this?
We all love to moan about our high taxes and the cost of corruption and the state of our roads and hospitals and schools, but we act as if it is something out of our control, like the weather.
Perhaps the reason for this study is to spur people into action, to affect public policy and change for the better. The Fraser Institute is an independent non-partisan research and educational organization based in Canada that publishes research about issues like taxation, government spending, health care, school performance and trade. If you visit its website at fraserinstitute.org, you can sign up for email updates and newsletters. It publishes papers such as Quebec Government’s Indebtedness: Unnoticed. Uncontrolled. Despite the high level of taxes we pay, Quebec is Canada’s most indebted province. Most of us know about our debt, but are we aware of the true costs?
Last month, the Fraser Institute released a study showing that the average Canadian family spends more on taxes than on food, shelter and clothing combined. According to the study, in 2013, the average Canadian family earned $77,381 and paid $32,369 in total taxes (or 41.8 per cent of income) compared with 36.1 per cent for food, shelter and clothing combined. In 1961, the average family earned approximately $5,000 and paid $1,675 in taxes (33.5 per cent of income) compared with 56.5 per cent on food, shelter and clothes.
Of course, in 1961, families did not have the benefits of medicare, the Canada Pension Plan and Old Age Security, but are we getting the best value for our tax dollars?
It seems as if the government is trying to get our debt under control. Quebec Health Minister Gaétan Barrette is proposing a reform of the health-care system to get rid of bottlenecks and save $220 million a year. He wants to eliminate the 18 regional health agencies that act as middlemen between the minister and the province’s Health and Social Services Centres (CSSS) and merge 182 CSSSs into 28 integrated regional centres (CISSSs) that will be appointed by the minister. Will this create an imbalance of power? Will the bilingual and cultural status of our institutions be affected? We will need to be vigilant. There is another saying that the only thing that is certain is change itself. The good news is that if you dislike the way things are, they are certain to change. The only way to make sure that change is moving in the right direction is to stay informed and speak out. Be the change you want to see.
Suzanne Korf is a professional fundraiser who has worked for non-profit organizations for more than 25 years. She is a director of development for The Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation. She is a mother of two and has been a resident of Pointe-Claire since 1991.
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