Average Canadians spent 43% of their incomes on taxes in 2023 than they did on housing, food and clothing combined says a new study by The Fraser Institute.
“Taxes remain the largest household expense for families in Canada,” said Jake Fuss,
director of Fiscal Studies at the Fraser Institute and co-author of Taxes versus the
Necessities of Life: The Canadian Consumer Tax Index 2024 Edition.
In 2023, the average Canadian family earned an income of $109,235 and paid in total
taxes equalling $46,988.
In other words, the average Canadian family spent 43.0 per cent of its income on taxes
compared to 35.6 per cent on basic necessities.
This is a dramatic shift since 1961 when the average Canadian family spent much less
of its income on taxes (33.5 per cent) than the basic necessities (56.5 per cent). Taxes
have grown much more rapidly than any other single expenditure for the average
Canadian family.
The total tax bill for Canadians includes visible and hidden taxes (paid to the federal,
provincial and local governments) including income, payroll, sales, property, carbon,
health, fuel and alcohol taxes.
Moreover, since 1961, the average Canadian family’s total tax bill has increased
nominally by 2,705 per cent, dwarfing increases in annual housing costs (2,006 per
cent), clothing (478 per cent) and food (901 per cent).
“Considering the sheer amount of income that goes towards taxes in this country,
Canadians may question whether or not we’re getting good value for our money,”
Fuss said.
