Politics Politicians Taxes

Authoritarian Rule Challenging Democracy as Dominant Global Model

Freedom in the World 2022 finds that autocracy is making gains against democracy and encouraging more leaders to abandon the democratic path to security and prosperity, with countries that suffered democratic declines over the past year outnumbering those that improved by more than two to one.

Authoritarians in every region are working together to consolidate power and accelerate their attacks on democracy and human rights, according to Freedom in the World 2022: The Global Expansion of Authoritarian Rule. Political rights and civil liberties have declined worldwide for each of the past 16 years, raising the prospect that autocracy could overtake democracy as the governance model guiding international standards of behavior.

https://freedomhouse.org/article/new-report-authoritarian-rule-challenging-democracy-dominant-global-model

The 15-Minute City: A Climate Solution? Or Just an ‘Excuse for More Control’?

https://creativedestructionmedia.com/analysis/2023/02/10/the-15-minute-city-a-climate-solution-or-just-an-excuse-for-more-control/

Canadians say they're getting overtaxed as total bill eats up 45% of income

Plus, they feel they're paying too much for the government services they get, Fraser Institute poll finds

Canadians are paying more in taxes, leading many to say they’re forking out too much for what they get, new research suggests.

The average family paid 45.2 per cent of their income in taxes to federal, provincial and local governments in 2022, estimates the Fraser Institute in its latest Tax Freedom Day report. That number is a big jump from the study’s start in 1981, when Canadians paid 40.8 per cent of income on taxes, the think-tank said.

https://financialpost.com/executive/executive-summary/canadians-overtaxed-total-bill-45percent-income

Canadians face bigger tax burden than you think

As the Trudeau government continues its debt-financed spending spree, and with budget season on the horizon, Canadians should remember that borrowing today means higher taxes tomorrow.

In recent years, the federal government has increased spending at an alarming rate, and shows no signs of slowing, with big ticket items such as $10-a-day daycare, national dental care and electric vehicle battery subsidies. Since 2019/20, according to its own projections, the government has increased annual program spending by more than $100 billion and added $500 billion in debt.

https://www.fraserinstitute.org/blogs/canadians-face-bigger-tax-burden-than-you-think

It's official — Trudeau has now literally doubled down on debt

Pop the champagne! It’s now official. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has doubled the federal debt. It took nearly two dozen prime ministers and a century and a half for the federal government to rack up $616 billion in debt, which is where the total stood before Trudeau’s first year in office. But less than a decade later, on Aug. 30 of this year, the debt has officially doubled to $1.232 trillion. That’s according to calculations done by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation based on annual debt increases outlined in the government’s latest budget.

https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/opinion-official-trudeau-now-literally-100039667.html