Policy Forum: Why Canada Needs a Comprehensive Tax Review

Fred O'Riordan ()
Additional contact information
Fred O'Riordan: Ernst & Young LLP, Ottawa

Canadian Tax Journal, 2018, vol. 66, issue 2, 351-362

Abstract: This article addresses the question of whether the time has come for a comprehensive tax policy review in Canada. The author begins with the proposition that periodic broad-based reviews are necessary as an alternative to piecemeal policy making done through the often politicized annual budget process, and he sets out four sets of principles or attributes that characterize a good tax system. These include fairness, equity, and legitimacy; neutrality and economic efficiency; simplicity, administrative feasibility, and certainty; and international competitiveness. The author then proceeds with an examination of the latter two sets of principles, using a number of available indicators of how well our existing tax system measures up against each of them. He concludes that evidence using these two principles alone suggests that there is sufficient scope for improvement in the existing system to merit a comprehensive policy review. He also provides some brief corroborative commentary on the first two sets of principles.

Keywords: Tax policy; reviews; reforms; principles (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.ctf.ca/EN/Publications/CTJ_Contents/2018CTJ2.aspx (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ctf:journl:v:66:y:2018:i:2:p:351-362

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
Canadian Tax Foundation, 145 Wellington Street West, Suite 1400, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5J 1H8
https://www.ctf.ca/E ... ns_ListingBooks.aspx

Access Statistics for this article

Canadian Tax Journal is currently edited by Kim Brooks, Kevin Milligan, and Daniel Sandler

More articles in Canadian Tax Journal from Canadian Tax Foundation Canadian Tax Foundation, 145 Wellington Street West, Suite 1400, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5J 1H8.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Jim Lyons ().