Taxation

Watchdogs or Poodles? (Part 6 of 8): Independent Agencies in the Supplicant Society

There is a conflict of interest when a government must decide if it will call an inquiry into its own conduct. The solution is to introduce a major role for an independent official. That person would be a preliminary investigator examining the need for an inquiry, considering carefully its scope and the protections to be given to those under scrutiny, and would make a decision or a public recommendation to the government of the day.

Greece’s Cosseted Classes Fight Red Tape Reform

After a year full of strikes protesting reforms and budget cuts, Greece is bracing for more unrest. The Socialist government’s efforts to liberalize the country’s hidebound service industries is threatening to provoke a storm of protests from groups ranging from taxi drivers to bakers.

Featured News

Foreign Influence in Canadian Economy?

Foreign influence or interference has become a mediatic topic. The fear and suspicion of interference in the elections and democratic process have been in news headlines. For the western countries, the suspicion bears on Russia and China. Revisionist powers have a...

Alberta Taxes Approach U.S. Levels

The 2004 Tax Load Index offers a simple measure of tax competitiveness across western Canada and adjacent jurisdictions, including Ontario and two American states, North Dakota and Minnesota. It sums up a jurisdiction’s key tax rates – the top provincial marginal rates (including surcharges) on personal and corporate income, as well as payroll, capital, sales taxes, and for the first time this year health taxes* – to present a picture of the total tax burden, and to benchmark them against our neighbours’ tax load.

A Decade of TABOR

Colorado has in its TABOR legislation the strictest tax-and-spending limitation of the 50 states. This paper analyzes TABOR’s effect on Colorado, contrasting taxing and spending before and after enactment of TABOR.