Today is the first day of the year our income is entirely our own.

That’s according to Fraser Institute’s annual calculation that June 9 is this year’s Tax Freedom Day.

Each year, the Vancouver-based think-tank adds up the total yearly tax burden for Canadian families by federal, provincial and municipal government.

The idea is that if taxes had to be paid up front, Tax Freedom Day marks the first day of the year families can start keeping their entire income, instead of being used to pay their taxes.

In 2017, the average Canadian family will pay about $47,000 in total taxes. That’s 43.4 per cent of their annual income going to income taxes, payroll taxes, health taxes, sales taxes and more.

“It’s difficult for average Canadians to add up all the taxes they pay in a year because the different levels of government levy such a wide range of taxes, and that’s why we do these calculations—to give Canadians a better understanding of exactly how much they pay to government,” said Charles Lammam, director of fiscal studies at the institute.

@ashwadhwani
ashley.wadhwani@bpdigital.ca
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