Economic analysis
Let the great family tax battle begin
With the release of the Liberal’s family tax package, the aim is to reverse almost all the family tax policies implemented by the Conservatives since 2006
Kevin Milligan
Kevin Milligan teaches at UBC's Vancouver School of Economics. His research looks at Canada's tax and transfer system and how it affects work, saving, inequality, children and the elderly.
Economic analysis
Stop pretending the TFSA expansion won’t be felt until 2080
The TFSA expansion means that by 2025 almost no one under 40 will pay tax on investment income. We should at least debate whether that’s bad or good.
Economic analysis
The seniors’ budget
Kevin Milligan reviews the federal budget perks targeted at seniors—a group already in relatively good financial shape
Economic analysis
The three big things to watch on budget day
If you want a deeper understanding of what is actually going on, it is worth digging into these three aspects of the budget
Economic analysis
What the slumping economy is doing to Ottawa’s bottom line
With no federal budget we don’t know what the changes in the economic situation are doing to the government’s bottom line, but we can guess
Economic analysis
The Family Tax Cut needs a rethink
Kevin Milligan breaks down three problems he has with the Conservatives’ income-splitting Family Tax Cut
Economic analysis
The case for raising the annual TFSA limit is shaky
Expanding the TFSA limit will be of benefit mostly to high-wealth households who have made out very well over the last thirty years compared to those in the middle or bottom
Economic analysis
Did losing the long-form census weaken Canada’s jobs data?
Chief Statistician Wayne Smith claims it’s a ’myth’ that the loss of the long-form census affected the reliability of the Labour Force Survey. I disagree.
Economic analysis
What President Obama’s tax proposals mean for Canada
Expect to see more talk of how tax policy should adjust to the new “Piketty era” of economic inequality
Economic analysis
Will Metro Vancouver voters agree to higher taxes for transit?
Residents will vote this Spring on a new transit package, funded by a half point increase in the provincial sales tax