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In the Telegraph-Journal, AIMS Vice President of Research John Williamson considers the proposal to increase the tax exemption on purchases from online U.S. retailers from $20 to $200. If enacted, such a policy proposal would unfairly disadvantage Canada's own retailers, Williamson argues, and so any reform should include Canadian businesses. Read this article on the [...]

The federal government is considering a tax exemption for online purchases from the United States under $200. No doubt, this idea emanates from popular frustration with high taxes. Burdened consumers justifiably want a break. Unfortunately, this proposal would be bad policy. As more people shop on American retail websites, government revenues will be [...]

  On Aug. 17, 2016, AIMS Policy Analyst Jackson Doughart was a guest on News 95.7's Sheldon MacLeod show. They discussed the reform of the Supreme Court appointment process to include bilingualism.  

AIMS Policy Analyst Jackson Doughart argues against the federal government's decision to consider only bilingual candidates for appointment to the Supreme Court. Bilingualism, Doughart argues, is largely a geographic privilege in Canada. There is no good reason for otherwise-qualified judicial candidates to be passed over for such a secondary consideration. This article appeared in the [...]

Since the creation of the Supreme Court in 1875, at least one of our country’s top justices has been from Atlantic Canada. But the federal government has announced that it will now open the field country-wide, without regional consideration. A greater pool, it says, will allow for more diverse candidates. This is not [...]

AIMS Intern Ryan Scarth describes the case for low business taxes. He notes that Canadian provinces have the substantial advantage of being able to set their own tax rates, an uncommon ability among sub-national jurisdictions. By lowering rates at will, provinces can compete more effectively through attracting business from elsewhere. In many countries, tax rates [...]

  Halifax’s traffic congestion is a drag on the local economy, with residents wasting countless hours commuting. Unfortunately, the idea of a commuter rail line to augment the city buses is not financially viable. Plus, none of the most important downtown destinations lies on an existing track. A better solution is a Bus [...]

The Beacon - August 6, 2016 | Volume XXII, No. 17 Summer Interns at AIMS Midsummer for the last three years has been the time for our summer BBQ. This is a time in which we express one more thank-you to friends and supporters. We dedicate the BBQ to the memory of Milton Friedman, a [...]

On Aug. 5, 2016, AIMS Operations Manager Alex Whalen discussed the Supreme Court nomination process with the Rick Howe Show and the Sheldon MacLeod Show on Halifax's News 95.7 station. See the embedded audio clips below.        

Great Britain is a model for sound economic policy. Since 2010, the UK has created more jobs than the rest of the European Union combined. Today, the unemployment rate is 4.9 percent, an eleven-year low. To achieve this success, British governments respond quickly to stormy economic clouds. When the economy slows, they cut [...]