A little more than a decade ago, Alberta had one of the most competitive tax environments in North America. Since then, policy changes on both sides of the border have badly undermined Alberta’s competitiveness.

It’s easy to understate just how quickly and severely Alberta’s tax environment has changed. To understand the scale of the shift, it’s useful to compare top personal income tax rates, which create more economic distortion (e.g. discourage people from working, saving and investing) and impose a greater drag on growth than lower income tax rates. Higher top personal income tax rates also damage a jurisdiction’s ability to attract and retain skilled workers who help drive economic growth.

EISEN and HILL: America’s ‘flat-tax revolution’ should prompt Smith government to resurrect single income tax rate Back to video

In 2014,........

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