Finance committee  A report was put out earlier this year that looked at all of the tax and spending done to support innovation and skills training. The tally was $23 billion spent by the federal government. The problem, however, is that for almost 90% of that envelope, the federal government hasn'

Finance committee  That's a fantastic idea. The idea of tax reform is a good one. It's the right move, and it's the time to do it. What's problematic about this approach is that it's a very piecemeal approach. It's obviously upsetting a lot of people, in part because the government has said, “We'll

Finance committee  The short answer is that it's not helping. It's actually hurting it in a very negative way. Oftentimes, we look at the impacts of policies by what's been enacted. But investors and forward-thinking entrepreneurs also look at the economic climate based on what the expectations are

Finance committee  We actually produced, I would argue, one of the most detailed proposals for comprehensive personal income tax reform a couple of years ago. I'd be happy to send a copy of that report. The thrust of the report is that we've seen an enormous amount of complexity in the personal inc

Finance committee  I can't overstate the importance of having robust business investment. It's partially what is driving the questions from this committee about productivity. Canada will not see its productivity levels grow unless we provide workers with the kinds of tools that they need to be prod

Finance committee  Thank you for that question and for following the Fraser Institute's work. I'm pleased to hear that. There are a few things I'd like to say. First of all, I'm not an environmental policy expert, but I will refer you to work that we've done that has measured the quality of Canada

Finance committee  Thank you, Chairman, and thank you to the committee for having me participate in these pre-budget consultations. I hope that you find my comments helpful as we craft next year's federal budget. I'm the director of fiscal studies at the Fraser Institute. We're an independent, no

Finance committee  I would like to comment if I can.

Finance committee  There's a broader point that I think is absent from this debate about how the tax changes will affect behaviour, and it's completely missing from the working paper provided by the Department of Finance. Basically it assumes there will be no behavioural response from any of the

Finance committee  I am.

Finance committee  Thank you, Mr. Chairman and committee members, for the opportunity to offer my thoughts on the federal government's proposed tax changes affecting private corporations. I hope you find my comments helpful and informative as you deliberate on this important public policy issue. I

Finance committee  Thank you for that. This is a very important question, and one that I agree with wholeheartedly. There is a very important need and opportunity to review tax expenditures. By my last count, there are roughly 128 of them in the federal tax system, which now cost more in terms of

Finance committee  I do. Thank you very much for your comments. I think it's an important point. We have in fact reviewed the literature on this. We've looked at studies that have been done historically in Canada, and studies that have been done around the world. Clearly the evidence does show t

Finance committee  Thank you, Chairman Easter, and the rest of the committee for giving me an opportunity to share the work of the Fraser Institute with you today. I hope you find my comments helpful and informative as you deliberate these important public policy issues. I'm the director of fiscal