The average Canadian family paid $37,058 in taxes last year—more than housing, food and clothing costs combined

Taxes versus the Necessities of Life: The Canadian Consumer Tax Index, 2018 Edition

Summary

• The Canadian Consumer Tax Index tracks the total tax bill of the average Canadian family from 1961 to 2017. Including all types of taxes, that bill has increased by 2,112% since 1961.
• Taxes have grown much more rapidly than any other single expenditure for the average Canadian family: expenditures on shelter increased by 1,480%, clothing by 732%, and food by 625% from 1961 to 2017.
• The 2,112% increase in the tax bill has also greatly outpaced the increase in the Consumer Price Index (731%), which measures the average price that consumers pay for food, shelter, clothing, transportation, health and personal care, education, and other items.
• The average Canadian family now spends more of its income on taxes (43.1%) than it does on basic necessities such as food, shelter, and clothing combined (35.6%). By comparison, 33.5% of the average family’s income went to pay taxes in 1961 while 56.5% went to basic necessities.
• In 2017, the average Canadian family earned an income of $85,883 and paid total taxes equaling $37,058 (43.1%). In 1961, the average family had an income of $5,000 and paid a total tax bill of $1,675 (33.5%).