Article content

Results from a new study commissioned by tax preparation behemoth H&R Block show that as of earlier this week, two out of five Canadians still need to file their 2016 tax returns. The poll also indicates that while one in four Canadians actually gets excited about filing and the prospect of receiving a hefty refund, most people associate negative feelings with the filing process, citing reasons ranging from finding tax preparation a complicated process (21 per cent) to the inconvenience factor (19 per cent) of filing a tax return or just the feeling of overall anxiety it evokes (11 per cent).

But have you ever wondered why we even need to file a tax return in the first place?

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or The CRA has our tax data — so why are we still filling out these crummy forms? Back to video

I pondered this question more closely last week as I sat with my brother in a Tel Aviv restaurant, where he explained to me, nonchalantly, that in Israel, most residents don’t bother to file personal tax returns. That’s because most Israelis are actually exempt from filing, based on the type(s) and/or amount(s) of income they earn. Similar systems exist in other major countries, including Japan, the U.K. and the Netherlands.