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Articles on Taxpayers

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Tax season is soon upon us, making it an opportune time to make Canada’s taxation system more democratic. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graeme Roy

How a proposed app called TaxTrack could make taxes more democratic

Tax season is fast approaching, but there are limited opportunities for Canadians to influence how their taxes are spent. Here’s how a new innovation could lead to a more democratic tax system.
Buffalo Bills owners Kim and Terry Pegula received a sweetheart deal from the state to finance their new stadium. Brett Carlsen/Getty Images

I’ve studied stadium financing for over two decades – and the new Bills stadium is one of the worst deals for taxpayers I’ve ever seen

Study after study has shown that stadiums are terrible public investments. Taxpayers rarely want to pay for them. So why do governments keep subsidizing them?
Several lawmakers from high-tax states like New York are pushing for changes to a key tax deduction in Democrats’ $3.5 trillion spending package. Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Some rich people will love at least one sweetener in Democrats’ $3.5 trillion plan

The 2017 tax cuts put a $10,000 cap on the deduction for state and local taxes. The richest households would see the biggest gains from eliminating or raising the cap.
U.S. taxpayers spend more than $2 billion annually in tax preparation fees. Nora Carol Photography/Getty Images

Why can’t the IRS just send Americans a refund – or a bill?

Dozens of prosperous countries save billions of dollars and hours annually by not requiring residents to fill out tax returns, so what is the United States waiting for?
The proposed National Health Insurance has raised questions about the government’s ability to manage a complex health system Shutterstock

South African taxpayers will bear the brunt of National Health Insurance

The South African government is going ahead with the National Health Insurance scheme but has yet to detail how it is to be funded. What seems certain is that taxpayers will foot the bill.
Some charter school operators make profits by leasing space to themselves at unusually high rates. By Ilya Andriyanov from www.shutterstock.com

Charter schools exploit lucrative loophole that would be easy to close

Charter school operators have been capitalizing on lax laws that let them lease building space to themselves at above-market rates. A simple ban could end the practice, two education scholars argue.
A Fairfax/ATO investigation suggests the tax office has broken the trust of taxpayers. www.shutterstock.com

When taxpayers do wrong, they cop penalties but erring tax officers do not

A Four Corners/Fairfax investigation shows the need for an advisory board to make sure that tax officers are accountable as part of the Taxpayers’ charter.
International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt speaking in 2017. Nick Ansell/PA Wire/PA Images

Gesture politics and foreign aid: evidence vs spin

There needs to be a more honest debate around the topic of foreign aid – there isn’t much evidence in the claim that it’s a pressing concern for much of the public.

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