Public Policy

Policy, Tax, and You – Morning Brief, March 6, 2018

Posted by Katerina Stamadianos on

Good morning subscribers!

They say that nothing is certain in life except for death and taxes. While taxes may not be well-liked, they remain of lasting importance to policy and a government’s capacity to carry it out. Given this certainty, much ink has been spilled – and, well, tweets crafted – over who, what, and how to tax, as well as how the resulting tax revenue should be spent. With this in mind, we’ve collected several articles to get you thinking about taxation and policy.

This week’s Morning Brief was prepared by Katerina Stamadianos. Sign up here to receive the Morning Brief directly to your inbox.

Policy, tax, and you 
  • The government of Ontario recently implemented a plan to reduce the cost of electricity bills across the province by roughly 25%. While this would bring a welcome reduction in the cost of hydro, Marvin JS Ferrer investigates whether the fixed costs of electricity could be shifted from ratepayers to taxpayers. [Ferrer/PPGR]
  • Will Toronto be able to reel in Amazon’s second headquarters? Unlike its American competitors, Toronto isn’t promising tax breaks or other financial incentives to pique the tech-giant’s interest, relying instead on its reputation as a multicultural and innovative city. But is the Canadian corporate tax framework favourable enough to secure Amazon’s $5 billion-dollar investment? [Hempstead/PPGR]
  • How should tax revenue be spent? Budget 2018 offers the Trudeau government’s perspective on the debate, under which federal spending is committed to initiatives such as bridging the gender pay gap and promoting research and innovation. Read on to familiarize yourself with the Budget 2018 essentials. [Zilio, Cardoso, and Lundy/Globe and Mail]
  • Proponents of the Republican government’s $1.5 trillion tax cuts argue that a reduction in taxes for big businesses would act to trickle savings down to employees and create jobs for everyday Americans. By calculating the estimated tax gains and the stated spending intentions of US companies, this article offers several interesting graphics to help you visualize the reality of corporate tax cuts. [Gandel/Bloomberg]
We hope all this money talk hasn’t been too taxing. The next Morning Brief will make its way to your inbox on March 14th, 2018.
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