Regulations Amending the Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements Regulations, 2007: SOR/2018-131

Canada Gazette, Part II, Volume 152, Number 14

Registration

June 22, 2018

FEDERAL-PROVINCIAL FISCAL ARRANGEMENTS ACT

P.C. 2018-847 June 21, 2018

Her Excellency the Governor General in Council, on the recommendation of the Minister of Finance, pursuant to section 40footnote a of the Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements Actfootnote b, makes the annexed Regulations Amending the Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements Regulations, 2007.

Regulations Amending the Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements Regulations, 2007

Amendments

1 (1) The definitions housing expenditure category and public or non-profit entity category in subsection 1(1) of the Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements Regulations, 2007footnote 1 are repealed.

(2) The definitions Government Finance Statistics and taxes on products in subsection 1(1) of the Regulations are replaced by the following:

Government Finance Statistics means the Canadian Government Finance Statistics used by Statistics Canada. (statistiques de finances publiques)

taxes on products means the amount determined by Statistics Canada, for the purpose of its System of Macroeconomic Accounts, that corresponds to the sum of taxes on products, whether imposed by a provincial, territorial, local or Aboriginal government, and the federal goods and services tax. (taxes sur les produits)

2 Section 2.1 of the Regulations is replaced by the following:

2.1 Despite any other provision of these Regulations, for the purpose of determining a revenue source or a revenue base under Part 1 or 1.1, there shall be excluded from the revenue of Ontario any amount obtained through a debt retirement charge levied under Part V.1 of the Electricity Act, 1998, S.O. 1998, c. 15, Sched. A, and from the revenue of Nova Scotia any amount levied on electricity consumption exclusively for the purpose of repaying the debt managed by the Nova Scotia Power Finance Corporation.

3 (1) Paragraphs (e.1) to (f) of the definition electricity enterprise in section 3 of the Regulations are replaced by the following:

(2) Paragraph (h) of the definition electricity enterprise in section 3 of the Regulations is replaced by the following:

4 (1) The definition non-business sector industry in section 3.1 of the Regulations is repealed.

(2) The definition intermediate input commodity in section 3.1 of the English version of the Regulations is repealed.

(3) The definitions business sector industry and intermediate input expenditures in section 3.1 of the Regulations are replaced by the following:

business sector industry means any of the business sector industries as defined by Statistics Canada

intermediate input expenditures means expenditures on intermediate inputs, as determined by Statistics Canada for the purpose of its Provincial Supply and Use Tables’ summary level intermediate input matrix, net of any taxes on products, also as determined by Statistics Canada. (dépenses en intrants intermédiaires)

(4) The definition intrant intermédiaire in section 3.1 of the French version of the Regulations is replaced by the following:

intrant intermédiaire Tout intrant intermédiaire défini par Statistique Canada pour sa matrice d’intrant intermédiaire au niveau sommaire de ses tableaux des ressources et des emplois provinciaux. (intermediate input)

(5) Paragraph (a) of the definition housing expenditures in section 3.1 of the Regulations is replaced by the following:

(6) Section 3.1 of the Regulations is amended by adding the following in alphabetical order:

capital expenditures means expenditures on commodities, as determined by Statistics Canada for the purpose of its Provincial Supply and Use Tables’ summary level final demand matrix, net of any taxes on products, also as determined by Statistics Canada. (dépenses en capital fixe)

commodity means any of the commodities as defined by Statistics Canada for the purpose of its Provincial Supply and Use Tables’ summary level final demand matrix. (produit de base)

housing expenditure category means any of the following expenditure categories used by Statistics Canada for the purpose of its Provincial and Territorial Economic Accounts:

post-secondary education or non-profit industry means either of the following industries as defined by Statistics Canada:

post-secondary educational services means universities, colleges and C.E.G.E.P.s as defined by Statistics Canada for the purpose of its Provincial Supply and Use Tables’ detailed level intermediate input matrix. (services d’enseignement postsecondaire)

public education or non-profit entity category means either of the following categories, used by Statistics Canada for the purpose of its Provincial and Territorial Economic Accounts:

(7) Section 3.1 of the English version of the Regulations is amended by adding the following in alphabetical order:

intermediate input means any of the intermediate inputs as defined by Statistics Canada for the purpose of its Provincial Supply and Use Tables’ summary level intermediate input matrix. (intrant intermédiaire)

5 (1) Subparagraph 4(1)(a)(iii) of the Regulations is replaced by the following:

(2) Subparagraph 4(1)(b)(ii) of the Regulations is amended by adding the following after clause (A):

(3) Subparagraph 4(1)(c)(xiv) of the Regulations is replaced by the following:

(4) Paragraph 4(1)(c) of the Regulations is amended by adding “and” at the end of subparagraph (xv) and by adding the following after subparagraph (xv):

6 (1) Clause 5(b)(ii)(A) of the Regulations is amended by adding the following after subclause (I):

(2) Subclause 5(b)(ii)(A)(V) of the Regulations is replaced by the following:

(3) The descriptions of A to J in paragraph 5(c) of the Regulations are replaced by the following:

7 (1) The definitions business sector industry, intermediate input commodity and intermediate input expenditures in section 6 of the Regulations are replaced by the following:

business sector industry means any of the business sector industries as defined by Statistics Canada for the purpose of its Provincial Supply and Use Tables’ level intermediate input matrix. (industrie du secteur des entreprises)

intermediate input commodity means one of the intermediate input commodities that constitute part of the intermediate input matrix as defined by Statistics Canada for the purpose of its Provincial Supply and Use Tables’ detailed level intermediate input matrix. (intrant intermédiaire)

intermediate input expenditures means expenditures on intermediate input commodities, as determined by Statistics Canada for the purpose of its Provincial Supply and Use Tables’ detailed level intermediate input matrix, net of any federal or provincial general sales taxes, also as determined by Statistics Canada. (dépenses en intrants intermédiaires)

(2) The portion of the definition non-business sector industry in section 6 of the Regulations before paragraph (a) is replaced by the following:

non-business sector industry means any of the following industries as defined by Statistics Canada for the purpose of its Provincial Supply and Use Tables’ detailed level intermediate input matrix:

(3) Section 6 of the Regulations is amended by adding the following in alphabetical order:

housing expenditure category means any of the following expenditure categories used by Statistics Canada for the purpose of its Provincial and Territorial Economic Accounts:

public or non-profit entity category means any of the following categories of entities, other than those in the business sector:

8 (1) Subparagraph 7(1)(b)(ii) of the Regulations is amended by adding the following after clause (A):

(2) Paragraph 7(1)(d) of the Regulations is amended by striking out “and” at the end of subparagraph (i), by adding “and” at the end of subparagraph (iii) and by adding the following after subparagraph (iii):

9 Subclause 8(1)(b)(ii)(A)(IV) of the Regulations is replaced by the following:

10 Section 9.1 of the Regulations is amended by adding the following after subsection (5):

(6) In determining the revenues described in paragraph 7(1)(b) in respect of a province for a fiscal year, the Minister may

11 Subparagraph (b)(i) of the definition personal taxes in subsection 10(1) of the Regulations is replaced by the following:

12 (1) Paragraph 14.1(2)(c) of the French version of the Regulations before clause (i)(A) is replaced by the following:

(2) The portion of subparagraph 14.1(2)(c)(ii) of the Regulations before clause (A) is replaced by the following:

(3) Subsection 14.1(2) of the Regulations is amended by adding the following after paragraph (c):

(4) The portion of paragraph 14.1(2)(d) of the Regulations before clause (i)(A) is replaced by the following:

(5) The portion of subparagraph 14.1(2)(d)(ii) of the Regulations before clause (A) is replaced by the following:

13 (1) The definition non-business sector industry in section 17 of the Regulations is repealed.

(2) The definition intermediate input commodity in section 17 of the English version of the Regulations is repealed.

(3) The definitions business sector industry and intermediate input expenditures in section 17 of the Regulations are replaced by the following:

business sector industry means any of the business sector industries as defined by Statistics Canada

intermediate input expenditures means expenditures on intermediate inputs, as determined by Statistics Canada for the purpose of its Provincial and Territorial Supply and Use Tables’ summary level intermediate input matrix, net of any taxes on products, also as determined by Statistics Canada. (dépenses en intrants intermédiaires)

(4) The definition intrant intermédiaire in section 17 of the French version of the Regulations is replaced by the following:

intrant intermédiaire Tout intrant intermédiaire défini par Statistique Canada pour sa matrice d’intrant intermédiaire au niveau sommaire de ses tableaux des ressources et des emplois provinciaux et territoriaux. (intermediate input)

(5) Paragraph (a) of the definition housing expenditures in section 17 of the Regulations is replaced by the following:

(6) Section 17 of the Regulations is amended by adding the following in alphabetical order:

capital expenditures means expenditures on commodities, as determined by Statistics Canada for the purpose of its Provincial and Territorial Supply and Use Tables’ summary level final demand matrix, net of any taxes on products, also as determined by Statistics Canada. (dépenses en capital fixe)

commodity means any of the commodities as defined by Statistics Canada for the purpose of its Provincial and Territorial Supply and Use Tables’ summary level final demand matrix. (produit de base)

housing expenditure category means any of the following expenditure categories used by Statistics Canada for the purpose of its Provincial and Territorial Economic Accounts:

post-secondary education or non-profit industry means either of the following industries as defined by Statistics Canada:

post-secondary educational services means universities, colleges and C.E.G.E.P.s as defined by Statistics Canada for the purpose of its Provincial and Territorial Supply and Use Tables’ detailed level intermediate input matrix. (services d’enseignement postsecondaire)

public education or non-profit entity category means either of the following categories used by Statistics Canada for the purpose of its Provincial and Territorial Economic Accounts:

(7) Section 17 of the English version of the Regulations is amended by adding the following in alphabetical order:

intermediate input means any of the intermediate inputs as defined by Statistics Canada for the purpose of its Provincial and Territorial Supply and Use Tables’ summary level intermediate input matrix. (intrant intermédiaire)

14 (1) Subparagraph 18(1)(a)(ii) of the Regulations is replaced by the following:

(2) Subparagraph 18(1)(b)(ii) of the Regulations is amended by adding the following after clause (A):

(3) Subparagraph 18(1)(i)(xi) of the Regulations is replaced by the following:

(4) Paragraph 18(1)(i) of the Regulations is amended by adding “and” at the end of paragraph (xii) and by adding the following after subparagraph (xii):

15 (1) Clause 19(1)(b)(ii)(A) of the Regulations is amended by adding the following after subclause (I):

(2) Subclause 19(1)(b)(ii)(A)(IV) of the Regulations is replaced by the following:

(3) The descriptions of A to J in paragraph 19(1)(i) of the Regulations are replaced by the following:

16 Paragraph (b) of the definition personal taxes in subsection 21(1) of the Regulations is replaced by the following:

17 (1) Paragraph 30(2)(e) of the Regulations is replaced by the following:

(2) The portion of subparagraph 30(2)(f) of the French version of the Regulations before Clause (i)(A) is replaced by the following:

(3) The portion of subparagraph 30(2)(f)(ii) of the Regulations before clause (A) is replaced by the following:

18 Subsection 34(2) of the Regulations is replaced by the following:

(2) In computing the revenue derived by a province from a revenue source for a fiscal year, other than from the revenue sources referred to in paragraphs 7(1)(a) and (b), the Minister may deduct from that revenue source the amounts referred to in paragraph 9(1)(b), without taking into account the reference to subsection 3.5(1) of the Act in subsection 9(1).

19 The portion of subsection 41(1) of the Regulations before subparagraph (a)(i) is replaced by the following:

41 (1) The Minister shall, for each province in relation to each fiscal year in the period beginning on April 1, 2007 and ending on March 31, 2024, calculate the net aggregate of overpayments to be recovered from that province by adding

20 The Regulations are amended by replacing “System of National Accounts” with “System of Macroeconomic Accounts” in the following provisions:

21 The Regulations are amended by replacing “Input-Output Accounts” with “Supply and Use Tables” in the following provisions:

22 The Regulations are amended by replacing “CANSIM table 183-0006” with “CANSIM table 183-0024” in the following provisions:

Coming into Force

23 These Regulations come into force on the day on which they are registered.

REGULATORY IMPACT ANALYSIS STATEMENT

(This statement is not part of the Regulations.)

Issues

The Minister of Finance’s authority to make Equalization and Territorial Formula Financing (TFF) payments under the Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements Act expires on March 31, 2019. This authority is typically renewed every five years to ensure the Equalization and TFF programs are meeting their objectives and using the most up-to-date and accurate measures in the determination of provincial and territorial entitlements. In Budget 2018, the Government of Canada proposed to renew Equalization and TFF for a five-year period beginning April 1, 2019, with technical changes to improve the accuracy and efficiency of the calculation of entitlements. The Government of Canada introduced Bill C-74, Budget Implementation Act, 2018, No. 1, to renew the Equalization and TFF programs for a five-year period beginning on April 1, 2019, and ending on March 31, 2024. Regulatory amendments to the Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements Regulations, 2007 are required to implement technical changes to improve the accuracy and efficiency of the calculation of entitlements.

Background

Equalization and TFF are unconditional transfers from the Government of Canada to provincial and territorial governments designed to reduce fiscal disparities among provinces and territories. Equalization enables provincial governments with lower fiscal capacity to provide reasonably comparable levels of public services at reasonably comparable levels of taxation. Similarly, TFF provides funding to enable territorial governments to provide a range of public services comparable to those offered by provincial governments at comparable levels of taxation, taking into account the higher cost of providing programs and services in the North.

The broad parameters of the formulae which determine Equalization and TFF entitlements are contained in the Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements Act. The Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements Regulations, 2007 contain the details of the calculations for each formula, such as which Statistics Canada data series are to be used in determining entitlements.

Equalization is based on fiscal capacity measured across the following five bases:

The Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements Regulations, 2007 set out how fiscal capacity is measured for each of these five bases. In general, fiscal capacity is the measure of how much revenue a province could raise from a base if it were to apply the nationally representative tax rate. For a given base, the nationally representative tax rate is calculated by dividing total provincial tax revenues to be equalized on that base by total provincial taxable activity in that base.

A province’s fiscal capacity for a base will generally differ from the actual revenues it collects. For example, for a province which chooses to have a low tax rate for a certain tax base, the revenues it actually collects will be below its measured fiscal capacity (its ability to raise revenues at national representative tax rates) for that base.

Equalization payments fill the gap between a province’s fiscal capacity and the average fiscal capacity of all ten provinces, on a per capita basis. This means that, in general, provinces which have per capita fiscal capacities below the national average receive payments to raise their fiscal capacities to the national average. Provinces above the national average do not receive payments.

Since payments are measured on a per capita basis, the total amount received by a province also depends upon the size of its population. Equalization entitlements are adjusted downward or upward, equally per capita, to ensure that total Equalization payments grow in line with a three-year moving average of nominal GDP.

The TFF program uses a gap-filling formula to recognize the unique circumstances of the territories (i.e. the higher cost of providing programs and services in the North). Each territory’s payment is based on the difference between a proxy of its expenditure needs and a measure of its fiscal capacity. The fiscal capacity measure for TFF is similar to that of Equalization, but includes additional bases such as fuel and payroll taxes.

Objectives

Description

The following four technical changes are being made to the Equalization and TFF formulae:

“One-for-One” Rule

The “One-for-One” Rule does not apply to these amendments, as there is no change in administrative costs to business.

Small business lens

The small business lens does not apply to these amendments, as there are no costs on small business.

Consultation

All provincial and territorial governments have been consulted in the development of the proposed regulatory changes over the past five years. Regular working level meetings were held to discuss renewal proposals with federal, provincial and territorial officials on Equalization and TFF since the last renewal in 2014. Ministerial level consultations on renewal proposals were held at the December 2017 Finance Ministers’ Meeting. To address territorial concerns about the potential impact of the technical changes on TFF, a legislative change proposed in Budget Implementation Act, 2018, No. 1 would authorize transition payments of $1.3 million to Yukon and $1.7 million to the Northwest Territories from 2019–2020 until 2023–2024 to offset projected negative impacts of the changes on TFF entitlements over the course of the renewal period.

Rationale

1. Align business income tax revenues with accounting standards by no longer deducting refundable tax credits.

This change would improve the accuracy of the Equalization and TFF formulae by aligning the definition of business income tax revenues with Statistics Canada’s Canadian Government Finance Statistics standard, which Equalization and TFF generally follow. Under this standard, the measurement of revenues does not deduct refundable credits; refundable tax credits are instead considered akin to program expenditures as they result in transfers to individuals and corporations. The change to measure business income tax revenues gross of refundable tax credits is consistent with a similar change made to the measurement of personal income tax revenues in the 2014 renewal.

2. Treat revenues related to the sale of cannabis similarly to revenues related to the sale of alcohol in Equalization.

This change will ensure that the treatment of cannabis revenues within the Equalization and TFF programs is policy-neutral and transparent. Without this change, the treatment of cannabis revenues within Equalization and TFF could vary depending on the instrument chosen to raise cannabis revenues. The treatment of cannabis revenues within Equalization and TFF will be made consistent with the treatment of other revenues related to the sale of excise goods in Equalization, notably alcohol.

3. Refine the structure of the consumption tax base to improve accuracy and ease of administration.

4. Exclude Alberta drug plan premium revenues from personal income tax revenues as they are considered service fees (user fees) for the purpose of the transfers.

This change will improve the accuracy of the measurement of personal income tax revenues. Service fees are excluded from the measure of fiscal capacity in Equalization and TFF. Alberta’s drug plan premiums are more like service fees than taxes because they are voluntary fees for supplementary health coverage. As such, they should fall outside the scope of the Equalization and TFF programs. With the amendment, they will no longer be included in personal income tax revenues. This is consistent with a change made in the 2014 renewal to remove voluntary Nova Scotia Seniors’ Pharmacare premiums from the measure of personal income tax revenues.

Implementation, enforcement and service standards

These changes will be implemented in the calculation of Equalization and TFF payments for the 2019–2020 fiscal year and the following four fiscal years.

Contact

Suzanne Kennedy
Senior Director
Equalization and Territorial Formula Financing Policy
Department of Finance Canada
Telephone: 613-369-5640