Tax Facts 3: The Canadian Consumer Tax Index and You

Robert B. Shortly was a chartered accountant in Toronto.

The Auditor General’s report annually brings out horror stories of how the Government spends the taxpayers’ money. This book, prepared by the Fraser Institute, provides a new horror: the ever-increasing amount of taxpayers’ income that is being taken by the various levels of government. Moreover, it points out that the use of deficit financing is, in effect, a deferral method of raising taxes which cannot be ignored.

The book was written with two distinct purposes: first, to provide a non-technical, do-it-yourself manual so the average Canadian family can calculate how much tax they really pay; and secondly, to update their Canadian Consumer Tax Index, which measures how much the tax bill of the average Canadian family has increased since 1961 and by how much it is changing currently. In effect, it measures the change in the price Canadians pay for government, without looking at the benefits Canadians receive for their taxes. This book is not recommended for those who already have a high aversion to paying taxes!