Globe becomes Occupy

- January 28th, 2013


Canada’s top 1 per cent of earners now represent 10.6 per cent of the country’s income, according to the latest measure.

That’s down from 12.1 per cent from a peak in 2006 but well up from the 7 per cent of the early 1980s, Statistics Canada reported Monday.

The paper goes on to describe how incomes for the 1% have risen since the 1980s. Back in 1982 you needed to make $147,500 to be among the most elite of tax filers, in 2010 you needed to earn $201,400 to make the cut.

What Occupy Front Street doesn’t tell you is that the amount of taxes paid by the top 1% has also gone up. All through the Occupy protests in Canada and even now with Common Causes, the rebranded Occupy movement, we have heard that the wealthy don’t pay their fair share.

What do the hard facts say?

According to Stats Canada, back in 1982, the golden days of Trudeau, Broadbent and social justice, the top 1% paid 13.4% of all taxes collected compared to 21.2% in 2010. Before the economic downturn the top 1% paid 23.3% of all taxes collected in 2007.

Here’s a bit more from Stats Canada.

The share of income taxes paid by the rest of all tax filers fell from 86.6% in 1982 to 78.8% in 2010.

The median federal and provincial income tax paid by the top 1% of filers was $60,900 in 1982. By 2010, this median had increased 48% to $90,100. By contrast, the median for the rest of tax filers fell from $2,800 in 1982 to $1,800 by 2010.

So much for fair share.

While the top 1% of income earners have seen their pay go up taxes have gone up even faster and that’s even with the income tax cuts of the Chretien and Harper governments.

Categories: Politics

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  1. Barry Kenter says:

    They get PERKS as well ,and how about the rouge biz folks that pay min wage that sees workers in need like for housing ect while they have a huge profit take , This is a hidden tax cut .
    Look at the ultra cheap labor comming to Canada that we have to foot the bill for in the way of social supports while Corporates do well once again. This must end .

  2. AnonG says:

    I’m astounded that ANYONE would take gospel , the words of Stats Canada , the governments propaganda arm or someone working for the media , the governments puppets . Stop being so naive and believing what they tell you …..

  3. Sandi Matian says:

    Barry, I don’t understand your way of thinking. Those who have built corporations have taken the risks and made the sacrifices that others aren’t inclined to entertain. They create employment and drive the economy. If we keep punishing and scorning these individuals, they may be less inclined to make the effort. Then where will our society be?

  4. Reg Ekiss says:

    Perks. What perks are you talking about? Sure, they can expense some meals, maybe not as many as the public servants. Cars? There is a personal income associated with all company cars. I know and I am not in the rarified air of the 1%. Ultra cheap labor? In Canada there is a min wage and not very many people at all work under the table for ulta cheap wages. There has always been a separation between business owners (those who take the most risks) and employees (those that take no personal financial risk). The best definitions about the difference between capitalism and utopian communal state is that there is an unequal distribution of wealth in capitalist societys and and equal distribution of misery in ultimate in communal states. And yes, I have worked in those countries to see that misery first hand. What we take for granted in Canada in even the worst homes, are windows and doors. In some countries, those are luxury items. In Canada we all have the opportunity based on ability to improve our lives and that is not universal. So I disagree with your premise, and I am not too impressed that the taxes are increasing as the story goes either. Now, I fully support the reduction of waste in government and see more income in the hands of all taxpayers. That is the real issue. Lets have a quality safety net and get rid of the excessive regulation and wasteful programs. Lets build a refinery that can use our own oil and produce gasoline and send that down the pipelines that already exist and have some more corp profits to tax. Oh wait, thats right, the enviroweenies wont allow us to build one. Oh well, lets tax those that are left to fund the social programs. oh what a world.

  5. William A. Marlowe says:

    It amazes me that the lefties still don’t understand that without those who are willing to take the chance to start a business and gamble that it will succeed our country would be the poorer for it. Just because I never had the balls to start a company and take a gamble on it succeeding never drove me to envy those that did. I always willing to accept a good days pay in return for my labour. It was always my belief that if I helped the company profit, I would in turn receive a pay pak commensurate with the contribution I made in the company succeeding. Now in retirement I have my pensions and am proud that I did the best “I could do

  6. G says:

    @ AnonG …yeah, never mind all that fact crap, data lies, emotional blathering dribble from left wing losers with only partial truth and outright deciet and a selfish agenda is much more believable.

  7. Peter says:

    My wife and I have a company that employs several people. To get to the point where we could do so we went into debt to the tune of over $100K. We went without many times to pay our employees and make the bills so we can stay open. Now we are making a bit of money and hope to expand some day. Building a successful business is NOT easy but it is rewarding.

    In short, to those idiots who would begrudge us our success but wouldn’t get off mommy and daddy’s couch to make something of themselves I have only two words for them…and they involve sex and travel!

  8. Mike aka FactsWillOut. says:

    Well, I guess I better quit my job and take welfare, it’s the only fair thing to do, after all, they’ve taken over a quarter million from me in the last ten years.

  9. Allen Paley says:

    Perks? I dunno about that….

    In 7 years I managed to work my way up from a roughneck up to his knees in mud and filth to a rig supervisory position. Was it easy? Heck no! Seems like the cleaner my new position, the more responsibility and stress came along with it. Now I sit at a desk making decisions where one bad calculation can make for a VERY costly boo boo. Any highschool dropout (I’m not one) can achieve the success I did with a little smarts, determination, respect, and a healthy work ethic.

    In 2012 I scraped the 200k mark, and saw a quite a bit of it go to taxes.

    The only ‘perks’ I’m entitled to are benefits and RRSP matching etc… My ‘perks’ give me the lovely gift of seeing only 55% of my gross.

    With a little luck I MIGHT see a decent piece of it back at ‘assessment time’.

  10. Allen Paley says:


    I just received my copy of “CBC Exposed”. Can’t wait to read it and share it!

  11. Fred from Brigus says:

    Isn’t it funny how the ones who work the hardest get bashed the most.

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