To tax or not to tax

Relying on and increasing taxes as a solution is proof of that there is a lack of vision and a breakdown in proper perspective for posterity.

Rudimentary question: Do low taxes necessarily translate into prosperity?

The big game up here is to often recite how much more Canadians pay in taxes than Americans. if we consider just income taxes then yes, Americans are better off given they have more disposable income. However, when overall tax burdens are taken into consideration the difference tightens. While Americans still pay in totality less taxes than just about anybody in the OECD (save Ireland who are "open for business), Canada's tax weight is not that bad - though it should be lower. Especially when compared to Western Europe who basically "rape" their citizens. Not mentioned here are corporate taxes.

In any event, arriving at what constitutes taxes and how to calculate it differs from country to country. The philosophical aspect of taxes* and its role in society also tends to vary. Many factors come into play and there'll always be debates about this but we can get a general idea and at every turn the verdict seems to be the U.S. faces lower taxes (though they have risen significantly in the last 100 years and certainly many do feel they pay too many types of taxes) than most countries and Canada lies somewhere in the middle - same story for Canada which was far less interventionist a century ago.

*Gotta love left leaning think tanks who claim to be offer "alternative" options.