74 Per Cent Of Canadians Surveyed Believe The Average Family Is Being Over-Taxed
JAKE FUSS
BRITISH COLUMBIA – The total tax bill continues to rise for the average Canadian family as 74 per cent of Canadians believe the average family (two or more people) is overtaxed by federal, provincial, and local governments, finds a new report published today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.
“There is a large discrepancy between what the average family actually pays in total taxes versus what Canadians believe the average family should be paying,” said Jake Fuss, associate director of fiscal studies at the Fraser and author of Polling Canadians on Taxes for the Average Family.
The study, based on a Leger poll in early 2023 that surveyed 1,554 Canadians about their opinions on the tax burdens imposed on families, finds that over half (52 per cent) of Canadians believe the average family should pay 25 per cent or less of their income to local, provincial, and the federal government.
The average Canadian family paid 45.2 per cent of its income to the federal, provincial, and local governments in 2022. According to the poll, 80 per cent of Canadians support the average family paying 40 per cent or less of their income in total taxes to all levels of government.
Critically, only 6 per cent of Canadians expressed support for the idea that the tax burden should represent more than 40 per cent of the average family’s income.
Nearly half (44 per cent) of the Canadians surveyed believe they’re getting poor or very poor value from the services they receive from governments, while just 16 per cent of Canadians believe they are getting good or great value. Less than one in three (28 per cent) believe they get satisfactory value.
“It’s clear that many Canadian families don’t believe they’re getting value from their taxes,” said Fuss.
“Tax relief should be a much higher policy priority given the overwhelming view that average Canadian families are overtaxed coupled with the weak support for the value Canadians receive in government-provided services.”
Jake Fuss is Associate Director of Fiscal Studies with the Fraser Institute
