A New Approach to Improving Small Business Tax Competitiveness

With the 2020 Covid-induced recession, many small businesses, especially in the travel, retail and hospitality sectors, have faced difficult health restrictions and declining demand. Temporary subsidies have been provided to help cover wage and rent costs and credit facilities have enabled many smal...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Jack Mintz
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of Calgary 2021-10-01
Series:The School of Public Policy Publications
Online Access:https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/sppp/article/view/72140
_version_ 1818947128167235584
author Jack Mintz
author_facet Jack Mintz
author_sort Jack Mintz
collection DOAJ
description With the 2020 Covid-induced recession, many small businesses, especially in the travel, retail and hospitality sectors, have faced difficult health restrictions and declining demand. Temporary subsidies have been provided to help cover wage and rent costs and credit facilities have enabled many small businesses to survive.    After economies recover from the pandemic recession, it will be useful to revisit taxation on small business growth and productivity.  In most countries, if the corporation grows large enough, the owner pays more corporate and personal taxes. To analyze the impact of taxes on business growth, we construct “tax walls”, reflecting the marginal effective tax rate on capital as the business grows.  The rate rises since some corporate tax benefits may be lost, and, the owner will pay more personal income tax.   This study is an update of the 2013 SPP report titled “Small Business Taxation Revamping Incentives to Encourage Growth”. Since 2013, SME taxation has changed significantly, including the 2015 federal provisions limiting income-splitting for family business owners and increasing the tax on passive income (by grinding down the small business deduction).  This report aims to evaluate Canada’s taxation in 2020 (ignoring Covid-related temporary support) compared to other G7 countries and Australia (the latter having a similar industrial structure and rule of law). Competitiveness, especially with the United States, is important since small business owners can decide to move to the U.S. or Canadian small businesses can be sold off with their functions moved to foreign jurisdictions.
first_indexed 2024-12-20T08:25:59Z
format Article
id doaj.art-6f653561361346949f110cc917dc1495
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2560-8312
2560-8320
language English
last_indexed 2024-12-20T08:25:59Z
publishDate 2021-10-01
publisher University of Calgary
record_format Article
series The School of Public Policy Publications
spelling doaj.art-6f653561361346949f110cc917dc14952022-12-21T19:46:51ZengUniversity of CalgaryThe School of Public Policy Publications2560-83122560-83202021-10-0114110.11575/sppp.v14i1.72140A New Approach to Improving Small Business Tax CompetitivenessJack Mintz0University of CalgaryWith the 2020 Covid-induced recession, many small businesses, especially in the travel, retail and hospitality sectors, have faced difficult health restrictions and declining demand. Temporary subsidies have been provided to help cover wage and rent costs and credit facilities have enabled many small businesses to survive.    After economies recover from the pandemic recession, it will be useful to revisit taxation on small business growth and productivity.  In most countries, if the corporation grows large enough, the owner pays more corporate and personal taxes. To analyze the impact of taxes on business growth, we construct “tax walls”, reflecting the marginal effective tax rate on capital as the business grows.  The rate rises since some corporate tax benefits may be lost, and, the owner will pay more personal income tax.   This study is an update of the 2013 SPP report titled “Small Business Taxation Revamping Incentives to Encourage Growth”. Since 2013, SME taxation has changed significantly, including the 2015 federal provisions limiting income-splitting for family business owners and increasing the tax on passive income (by grinding down the small business deduction).  This report aims to evaluate Canada’s taxation in 2020 (ignoring Covid-related temporary support) compared to other G7 countries and Australia (the latter having a similar industrial structure and rule of law). Competitiveness, especially with the United States, is important since small business owners can decide to move to the U.S. or Canadian small businesses can be sold off with their functions moved to foreign jurisdictions.https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/sppp/article/view/72140
spellingShingle Jack Mintz
A New Approach to Improving Small Business Tax Competitiveness
The School of Public Policy Publications
title A New Approach to Improving Small Business Tax Competitiveness
title_full A New Approach to Improving Small Business Tax Competitiveness
title_fullStr A New Approach to Improving Small Business Tax Competitiveness
title_full_unstemmed A New Approach to Improving Small Business Tax Competitiveness
title_short A New Approach to Improving Small Business Tax Competitiveness
title_sort new approach to improving small business tax competitiveness
url https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/sppp/article/view/72140
work_keys_str_mv AT jackmintz anewapproachtoimprovingsmallbusinesstaxcompetitiveness
AT jackmintz newapproachtoimprovingsmallbusinesstaxcompetitiveness