CALGARY, Alberta, Aug. 13, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Between 2007 and 2022, Albertans continued to contribute disproportionately to Canadian federalism in terms of the amount of federal taxes paid versus federal spending in the province, finds a new study published today by the Fraser Institute, an independent non-partisan Canadian think-tank.
“It’s clear that Albertans continue to disproportionately contribute to the economic success of the country and to federal finances,” said Tegan Hill, director of Alberta Policy at the Fraser Institute and co-author of Understanding Alberta’s Outsized Contribution to Confederation.
Overall, from 2007 and 2022, Albertans’ contributed $244.6 billion to the federal government in taxes and other payments in excess of the money Ottawa spent or transferred to Alberta – more than five times as much as was contributed (on net) by either British Columbians or Ontarians. The other seven provinces, and most notably Quebec were net recipients of federalism, meaning the amount of revenues collected by the federal government in those provinces was exceeded by the amount of money spent or transferred by Ottawa back to the provinces.
“When Alberta’s economy is strong and prosperous, it benefits the entire nation,” commented Hill.
In 2022, Alberta’s inflation-adjusted GDP growth was the fastest in the country (5 per cent), it also reported the fastest private sector employment growth (7.8 per cent), the highest level of business investment per private sector worker ($36,412) and had the highest net interprovincial migration (56,245 people).
“It is the economic success of Alberta that leads to Albertans contributing more to Canadian federalism than other provinces, which is absolutely something to be encouraged rather than discouraged,” said Hill.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Tegan Hill, Director of Alberta Policy
Fraser Institute
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The Fraser Institute is an independent Canadian public policy research and educational organization with offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, and Montreal and ties to a global network of think-tanks in 87 countries. Its mission is to improve the quality of life for Canadians, their families and future generations by studying, measuring and broadly communicating the effects of government policies, entrepreneurship and choice on their well-being. To protect the Institute’s independence, it does not accept grants from governments or contracts for research. Visit www.fraserinstitute.org.
