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First, consider the personal income taxes paid by the top 10 per cent of earners — the country’s high-skilled, educated workers including entrepreneurs, business professionals, engineers, doctors and lawyers. According to Statistics Canada data, in 2013 the top 10 per cent earned 35 per cent of Canada’s total income yet paid 54 per cent of federal and provincial income taxes.

But that of course is just income taxes. Canadians pay a wide range of other taxes — some visible, many hidden — including payroll taxes, sales taxes, property taxes, fuel taxes, profit taxes, “sin” taxes on liquor and tobacco, and much more. When we account for all these taxes, our calculations find that the top 10 per cent earns 32 per cent of all income in Canada but pays 40 per cent of all taxes.

Canada’s top personal income tax rate is second highest among G7 countries, behind only France

Meanwhile, middle- and lower-income earners pay proportionately less. Consider that the bottom half of earners in Canada earn 22 per cent of all income yet pay only 15 per cent of all taxes.

The imbalance between lower and higher income groups, in terms of the percentage of income earned and total taxes paid, challenges the narrative that high-income earners don’t pay their “fair share” of taxes. What’s more, it flatly disproves the notion that upper-earners get off easy.

Another way to look at the issue is by considering the average tax rate of Canadians in different income groups. After accounting for all taxes imposed by the federal, provincial and local governments, Canadians in higher income groups pay a higher average tax rate. For the top 10 per cent of earners, the average total tax rate is 56 per cent — much higher than the 13 per cent average rate of the bottom 10 per cent.