Common Wealth Research
Explore publications and research notes related to economic rents, land value tax, and housing in Canada.
Natural Common Wealth and Economic Rent in Canada
In this paper, we estimate the total economic rents (or unearned profits) from Canada’s land and natural resources that could be collected as new revenue, without inhibiting productive investment. At $241 billion/year, it could be enough to raise the 0% personal income tax bracket to $250,000/year or generate a dividend of $7,600/year per adult.
The Common Wealth Fund: Investing for Canada’s future
Canada should have a sovereign wealth fund that invests our common resource wealth to benefit all Canadians. A Common Wealth Fund with $2T in assets could generate $60 to $90 billion a year to pay dividends or fund public investments. This would be enough to pay every Canadian adult a lump-sum dividend of $42,000 after 10 years or annual dividends of $2,600 or more.
Research Notes
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Land value tax can fix the incentives plaguing our housing market
So long as land—what drives home values—is an investment, housing will be expensive. A land value tax would reduce demand for land as an investment, encourage more housing supply where needed, and help restore affordability for all.