According to the report, the average Canadian family pays 43 per cent of their annual income to different taxes.

“We calculated that when you sum up all the taxes paid to the Federal, Provincial and Local Government your typical family is paying over 37 thousand dollars each year in taxes,” says Charles Lammam, who helped compile the report, “relative to the necessities, it’s a lot more. Basic necessities total, for the average family, about 36 percent of its income.”

Lammam says that the results will be different depending on taxes in each province and community as well as the cost of living.

“Some of the taxes are easy to discern but others are hiding in the things that we buy. Just tallying up all these taxes whether it’s income tax, payroll tax, sales tax, property tax, carbon tax, fuel tax, that I think is important to know that we’re paying 43 per cent of our annual income.”

We went out to ask some in Airdrie what they felt of the report and many were not surprised.

“I believe it if not more...they’re increasing the salary but the tax will also increase like that...I’m angry. I’d like to have that money for my family and not paying it right to our government...I understand why we pay taxes and we have health care and we have a lot of things that we are super grateful for but it makes it hard for an average family to make a go of it at that tax rate.”

The Fraser Institute report also showed how much the tax to income ratio has increased in the past 50 years.

In 1961, 33.5 per cent of the average family income went to taxes. Year over year, the average tax bill has gone up 2,112 per cent since 61.

Canadians are spending around 20 per cent on shelter needs, 10.6 per cent on food and about 25 per cent on clothes and other items.

Lammam isn’t sure if this trend will get better or worse in the coming years but believes the discussion of where our tax dollars are going needs to happen.

“We can’t be lulled into thinking that just because we pay higher taxes we get better services from government, that’s not the way it works. With 43 percent of our income going to taxes we should have an informed discussion about whether we’re getting the best value for our tax dollars.”

When asked if they think the tax to income ratio will get better or worse, those we talked to in Airdrie went for the latter.

“Worse. Over time a loaf of bread will be 7 dollars, I don’t know...I’m hoping if we get our governments out it’s going to change...I think probably worse, how our economy is it’s just going to keep going up and up I think...I’m hoping it’ll get better in the future maybe with a shift in government.”

You can read the full report on the Fraser Institute’s website.