“With growth in the total tax bill outpacing the cost of basic necessities, taxes now eat up more family income, so families have less money available to spend, save or pay down household debt,” said Charles Lammam, director of fiscal studies at the Fraser Institute, in a statement.
The report from the Vancouver-based think tank found that last year, the average Canadian family spent 42.1 per cent of its income on taxes and 36.6 per cent on basic necessities. The average family in that year made $79,010 and paid $33,272 in total taxes while spending just $28,887 on food, clothing and shelter combined.