A majority of Canadians think they are excessively taxed by a federal government that overspends and uses poor judgement on its spending, according to an MEI-Ipsos poll released July 20..“Not only do Canadians find that the Trudeau government spends too much, but they also find that it spends unwisely,” explains Renaud Brossard, senior director of communications at the Montreal Economic Institute..“This seems to indicate a disconnect between the Department of Finance and the people whose money is entrusted in its care.” .The poll found 55% of Canadians think the federal government is overspending, including 64% of Quebecers..In all, 27% thought government spending was at an acceptable level and 9% said they should spend more. Nine percent were unsure..The contrast was even stronger on income taxes..Two-thirds of Canadians (67%) thought their income taxes were too high and only 1% thought they should be higher. Atlantic Canadians, women and young adults were most likely to have this view..Six-in-ten Canadians (63%) are dissatisfied with the accountability and transparency of government spending, more than doubling (31%) those who were satisfied. Atlantic Canadians and those more than 55 years of age were the most likely to be dissatisfied..Less than one-quarter of Canadians (23%) thought the money was effectively allocated to the most important issues for Canada, with Quebecers most likely at 31%..Almost two-thirds (64%) did not think the federal government was spending wisely, and the remainder were unsure..Most Canadians connected taxes and government spending to inflation..Moreover, 65% of Canadians recognize that the growth in government spending over the past three years has contributed to higher inflation levels, and only 25% disagree. Seven in ten Canadians (71%) recognize that higher corporate taxes lead to higher prices for consumers..“The message Canadians are sending Ottawa is unequivocal,” says Brossard. “They are asking Ottawa to cut its spending, review its priorities and reduce their tax burden.”.On other issues, those polls were more divided..On carbon pricing, only 41% of those surveyed were in support, while 45% were opposed, and the rest were unsure. Opposition was lowest in Quebec at 32% and highest in Atlantic Canada at 68%..Six in ten surveyed (61%) agree high taxes can lead wealthy people to move to places they’ll be taxed less. However, 43% still thought the rich should pay more than 50% of their income in taxes and only 33% thought Canadians paid their fair share..MEI also wanted to know what income level made someone “rich.” Answers varied widely..$5 million - 7%$1 million - 16%$500,000 - 27%$250,000 - 33%$100,000 - 17%.The poll was conducted on 1,020 Canadian adults between June 29 and July 3, 2023. The results are accurate to within plus or minus 3.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
