Alberta Politics & Government Thread 4.0

[Roughneck]

Originally Posted by DJones

Yes, I wanted a net balance of what people pay vs what they get from the feds. In Canada that naturally follows provinces.

I posted the link above showing those numbers. Numbers are a bit dated and that was during a recession in Alberta so more recent numbers would be even worse if you can find them.

What "people" pay vs. what they get? That's a lot harder to weed out than just revenue - expenditure.


For example, Alberta leads provinces with the largest share of revenue derived from corporate and production taxes compared to household income taxes and taxes on products (sales and excise taxes) at just a hair over a third. The national average is just under 25% with provinces like BC and NB being under 10%. Does this source of revenue get counted as what "people" pay?


Similarly on what we are getting back. How should subsidies fit in? What about aforementioned infrastructure projects like TMX. most of the money got spent in BC, but the benefit is mostly for Alberta. Are we counting the additional royalty revenue that federal investment generates as something we get back?


But since you asked so nicely, these are the 2024 revenue - expenditure numbers per capita


NL - $7,011
PE - $12,364
NS - $10,961
NB - $10,143
QC - $2,962
ON - $895
MB - $7,981
SK - $5,955
AB - ($3,870)
BC – ($1,433)




Just for fun, I tried to account for what 'people' actually pay (household income taxes, sales & excise taxes & social insurance (EI & CPP) minus the net expenditure. People are welcome to audit my numbers and assumptions, I did it quickly to avoid work and might have missed some big lines


NL - $9,363
PE - $14,921
NS - $12,973
NB - $10,754
QC - $5,990
ON - $4,587
MB - $9,022
SK - $9,571
AB - $1,214
BC – ($400)


What does it mean? I don't really know. Does BC just capture corporate tax so horribly? Are Alberta corporations shouldering too much of Alberta's burden? Who knows!

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by TheIronMaiden

It is hilarious that Albertans think that they will save money, as if they wont have to pay to access federal transportation corridors both coming and going. It's not like Canada will just let us use their trains, and port access for free. Let alone highways, or portions of pipeline infrastructure which the federal government helped pay.

It's just a hair brained high school social studies argument to think that the Alberta economy can just be separated and continue to operate the way it was despite how integrated it is.

This is the #1 argument against even discussing separation imo.

Because it's probably objectively true that confederation is fiscally "unfair" to Albertans.

But that actually doesn't matter. You can't choose to move to fantasyland - and the only other option available to Albertans is to separate. And anyone who thinks the rest of Canada wouldn't fill the Alberta-shaped hole in their budgets with levies on Alberta's oil and gas exports has already moved to fantasyland.

You don't get to pick whatever you want, you get to pick from the choices available to you. And clearly separating is worse than the deal we have now, so we should stay.

It doesn't require appeals to emotion or patriotism - Albertans are clearly better off fiscally to stay.