Canada’s modern taxes: Thank the USA!
In this excerpt from Mark Milke’s new book, Tax Me I’m Canadian – Your Money and How Politicians Spend It, the idea that low taxes and a competitive edge are inherently American while the continual creation of new taxes or increases of existing taxes are purely Canadian obsessions is turned on its ear. As Milke points out: “For our earliest founders and Finance ministers, attracting immigrants and investment to Canada through the promotion of a low-tax regime was the stated goal for at least the first 50 years of our country’s existence. The Dominion’s leading politicians trumpeted Canada's lower taxes compared to the tax-happy Americans…” Contrary to what many tax advocates argue, cutting taxes and promoting immigration and investment isn’t about copying the pro-business agenda from the United States it is about getting rid of the American influence that has taken us so far from our own roots and left us uncompetitive in the global marketplace.
What’s A Degree Worth
Atlantic Canadian taxpayers give substantial financial support to our region’s university students. Similarly, students invest considerable resources in time, tuition fees and forgone income, to get their university degrees. But what value do taxpayers and students respectively get in return for their investment? And does each contribute to the cost of a university degree in proportion to the benefit they receive from it?
Who should benefit from natural gas? Our kids
In a recent Halifax speech, Jim Dinning, former Provincial Treasurer in Alberta, told all Nova Scotians the hard truths about natural resource revenues: non-renewable "natural resource revenues are non-reliable revenues" and "Natural resource wealth doesn't belong just to this generation. It belongs to our children and our children's children."
Nova Scotia takes AIMS’ advice on school testing
Education Minister's new Action Plan will improve accountability for education results but more needs to be done.
Of school tests and teacher union testiness
In this column, AIMS President Brian Lee Crowley comes to the defence of Teachers Union President Brian Forbes against too hasty critics who say Forbes is quarrelling with the very notion of the usefulness of testing in the schools. Crowley cites three significant areas of agreement between the latest AIMS research paper “Testing and Accountability: The Keys to Educational Excellence in Atlantic Canada” and Mr. Forbes’s recent article criticizing AIMS, published in the Chronicle Herald. To see why Crowley and Forbes can agree that that testing has its place in the public schools, that the tests have to be interpreted in the context of the individual school and that testing alone is not enough go to: http://aims.wpengine.com/Media/2002/prmar1302.htm Publication: CHH, March 13, 2002
AIMS On-Line for late March 2002
Here is what's new at AIMS, Atlantic Canada's Public Policy Think Tank