Despite an ongoing debate on the size of municipal council in several Canadian cities, especially in Quebec, relatively few studies have measured the impact of the number of elected officials on local public finances. This research analyzes the budgetary effects of the size of council in...

In this paper we evaluate the effectiveness of R&D tax incentives in Quebec, using manufacturing firm data from 1997 to 2003 originating from R&D surveys, annual surveys of manufactures and administrative data. The estimated price elasticity of R&D is -0.10 in the short run and -0.14 in the long...

This study compares Quebec's tax effort with that of the other Canadian provinces. The results show that the tax effort is higher in Quebec than in any other Canadian province. In the first section, the authors expose the global situation that currently prevails in Quebec. In the second section,...

This report was generated in the framework of consultations by the Expert Panel on Equalization and Territorial Formula Financing. The study first presents a brief history of equalization and the evolution of its main parameters. The principal issues are discussed next, in particular the...

This paper investigates the work incentives aspect of the new tax credit called Prime au travail introduced by the Quebec government in January 2005. The problem of work incentives is discussed and a review of the literature pertaining to the American, English and French experiences in this...

This study compares the progressivity of the income tax of Quebec and Ontario. After observing the predominance of income taxation in Quebec and Ontario, by way of international and interprovincial comparisons and illustrating the presence of progressivity in both provinces, progressivity...

As part of the 2003-2004 budget, the finance minister announced the imposition of a moratorium on certain fiscal policies related to the REA. In the advent of the termination of the moratorium in the next budget (2005-2006), the goal of this study is to find certain alternatives which could be...

This study compares the parameters of income taxation in Quebec with those prevailing elsewhere in the Canadian federation and in the G7 countries. After demonstrating the government of Québec's greater dependence on income taxes, the authors use a historical analysis to show that there has...

This paper analyses a survey undertaken by the polling firm CROP between the 20th and the 31st of January 2005. The 21 questions presented in this study concern the Quebec population's perception of fiscal issues. Several issues are examined such as budgetary choices and fiscal administration as...