Canadian Politics Today

Almost no one pays 60% of their income in tax - I have trouble finding that credible.

Almost no one pays 60% of their income in tax - I have trouble finding that credible.

They don't. The averaged tax rate for someone making $250,000 per year is 40% (averaging the margins). If the argument is that there's then consumption tax of 15% on top of that you're still only at 55% if you take it straight on. That's not correct though because they're only left with 60% of $250,000 as spendable income. And even then, that assumes hey spent it entirely on consumption and didn't invest any of it, put any in TFSAs or RRSPs, and didn't leave a single penny of it in the bank. Sure some things have more taxes like gasoline, liquor, smokes, etc. Regardless, someone making $250,000 a year is not paying 60% of their income to taxes.

Let's say they are though, that leaves them with $100,000 of disposable income. That's three times the median personal income in Canada. Their disposable income alone is in the top 10% (their gross income is in the top 1%). The highest earning Canadians whining about their taxes is really pathetic, in other words. Especially when you consider the amount of money they have left after he fantasy inflated tax rates SirJohn mentions would still leave them with more money than 90% of Canadians make in total.

Tax freedom day for the average Canadian last year was June 7 which means 43% of their income goes to some sort of tax. This would indicate that many highly paid salaried people pay considerably more. It will also vary depending on where you live.

Tax freedom day is some bullshit made up by The Fraser Institute to push their ideological agenda. Their calculations are completely dodgy. Here's an article that explains how they inflate the tax figures and understate income if you're interested: http://www.policyalternatives.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/publications/National_Office_Pubs/2005/tax_freedom_day.pdf

The more important point is that Tax Freedom Day is meaningless. You're paying for police, fire, ambulance, schools, hospitals, the military, the postal service, garbage pickup, water treatment, food safety inspections, coast guard, border service agents, child protection services, courts, prisons, street lights, sewage, and on and on. It costs money to live in civil society. We've determined through elected officials passing legislation that some things are worth spending money on for the public good.

You want to celebrate freedom from that? The money doesn't evaporate. You're spending it on yourself just as much as others.

The Fraser institute says people are taxed at a higher rate in Canada than any other advanced country.  The OECD says this:

Do they actually say that? I've never heard it said. I've always assumed many European countries have higher taxes than we do. Then again, they get more for their taxes.

Oh yes - more than every other G7 country:

That’s a higher percentage than families in every other G7 country, except France.

http://www.torontosun.com/2017/08/26/its-time-for-a-tax-revolt-in-canada

When in fact study after study shows we're among the lowest taxed people in the industrialized world:

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2016/04/16/canadian-taxes-oecd_n_9706606.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2017/06/04/taxes-canada_n_16950242.html

Oh yes - more than every other G7 country:

That’s a higher percentage than families in every other G7 country, except France.

http://www.torontosun.com/2017/08/26/its-time-for-a-tax-revolt-in-canada

What they specifically said was that 'families' pay a higher rate than other G7 countries. Note the 'families' and G7. Not OECD.
And I trust a study by the Broadbent Institute as little as you trust the Fraser Institute.

You want to celebrate freedom from that? The money doesn't evaporate. You're spending it on yourself just as much as others.

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It's the day your spending becomes discretionary, not compulsory. No one is saying you don't get any value from your taxes.

Of course. That's what you choose to believe.

I also provided charts from the actual OECD, so