Ontario should scrap its antiquated retail sales tax, and opt for a made-in-Ontario valued-added tax (VAT) that would improve fairness, encourage investment and wage growth, and reduce administrative costs for government and for business.

The aim of the book is to investigate how PPP reforms function in comparison to the more traditional methods of providing public sector services and infrastructure and who typically experiences the successes and failures of these reforms.

Low income seniors face extremely heavy tax burdens across Canada, according to a new C.D. Howe Institute report. In “Who Loses Most? The Impact of Taxes and Transfers on Retirement Incomes,” authors Finn Poschmann and Alexandre Laurin show that seniors can be hit hard by taxes and benefit...

Public alarms have sounded over the rising holdings of cash on Canadian businesses’ balance sheets. Critics have alleged the hoards reflect a market failure or collective business failure to invest productively in new machinery and equipment. A closer look at the situation suggests more to the...

Ontario faces a $19.7 billion unfunded liability at its Workplace Safety Insurance Board (WSIB) based on a fair-value accounting approach. In the report, the authors say the WSIB, which levies employer premiums intended to fund benefits for employees injured in the workplace, has a problem that...

Policymakers should not overreact to perceptions of corporate ‘dead money’, according to a new C.D. Howe Institute report. In “It’s Alive! Corporate Cash and Business Investment,” author Finn Poschmann points out that corporate cash holdings, as a share of output, have not grown since...

In the wake of a series of crises, international and domestic financial regulation has become highly complex and prescriptive, and oriented to leverage, liquidity, and capital ratios among financial institutions. This raises concerns over monitoring incentives, and over the increased role of...

Unusual economic and political circumstances surround the framing of the 2009 federal budget. A period of global spending outrunning productive capacity has ended with financial crisis and recession in much of the world, Canada included. The sudden slump has prompted demand for, and expectations...

Near-term turbulence should not distract Ottawa budget-makers from critical long-term tasks. This 2008 shadow federal budget will move Canada a key step forward by providing improved incentives and rewards for Canadians' work and saving, and a more congenial environment for investment and...

Most federal and provincial government benefits for families with children are sharply income-tested. Reductions in these benefits, as family income rises, mean that low-income families face much higher effective tax rates than most others do, and deny such families the full benefit of the...