Inefficiency, Iniquity and Political Market: Basis for Fiscal Stagnation in the Province of Quebec (Inefficacite, Iniquite Et Marche Politique: Bases De L'Immobilisme Fiscal Du Quebec)

Abstract

This paper looks at the Quebec's tax system - including taxes and tarification - with the perspective of the determination of fiscal policies in the political market. To allow a global reflection on the Quebec's fiscal policy, it begins with the presentation of general principles used to evaluate a tax system: equity, efficiency, economic growth, transparency and simplicity. The study then presents an overview of the main fiscal instruments used in the province of Quebec and analyses them with the preceding principles. A third section explains briefly a few models of political markets, notably the median voter theory. It also attempts to make a broad overview of Quebec's median voter. The last section analyses a selection of fiscal policies adopted by the government of Quebec under the spectacle of the principles explained earlier and the political market.