Although subsidies are often criticized for their undesirable economic effects and for the way they discriminate in favour of particular sectors or firms, they maintain a strong presence in our economy. Governments not only seem incapable of trimming them but tend to invest in new forms of business assistance that are subtler and harder to evaluate, leaving them less open to reproach. The concept of subsidies includes not only direct dollar transfers but also other forms of aid that do not involve actual disbursements or that are considered as investment rather than spending. While disbursements are easy to measure, other types of subsidy are merely implicit, and precise data on their extent are often unavailable.

Debate between MEI’s Valentin Petkatchin and Attac-Québec’s Robert Jasmin.

The role of taxes in the prices of gasoline.

Si le gouvernement peut trouver quelques centaines de millions de dollars à consacrer à autre chose qu’à des dépenses additionnelles, il devrait donc réduire les impôts au lieu de les consacrer à un fonds des générations. La dette publique du Québec est certainement préoccupante, mais elle continue de diminuer en pourcentage du PIB et malgré l’équilibre précaire actuel, il y a longtemps que le gouvernement du Québec ne «paie plus l’épicerie» en s’endettant.

Debate between Norma Kozhaya, Economist at the MEI, and Pierre Lefebvre, Professor of Economics at UQAM.

The issue of fiscal imbalance vs. tax payers.

Comment les dépenses et les recettes fédérales ont-elles évolué au cours des dernières décennies? Il est important de faire le point sur cette question, ne serait-ce que pour évaluer les orientations qu'adoptera le gouvernement issu de la présente campagne électorale. L'une des conclusions qui ressort est qu'il ne semble pas y avoir de corrélation entre l'évolution des dépenses et recettes fédérales et le parti au pouvoir.

We often hear that people in Quebec are less inclined to become entrepreneurs than other Canadians or Americans. This difference is sometimes attributed to cultural or religious factors that assigned a low standing to entrepreneurial activity. Although such factors may still have a certain influence, Quebec stands apart mainly because of regulatory and tax burdens that are higher than elsewhere and that penalize entrepreneurs.

Quebec must lower taxes to increase revenues.

Who must we blame for the high cost of gasoline?