Commentary As the Trudeau government prepares to table the first federal budget in roughly two years, it’s worthwhile to consider how Ottawa’s policies of higher taxes, increased spending and borrowing, and more regulations weakened the economy well before COVID-19. In 2015, the Liberals campaigned on cutting income taxes for the middle class, particularly for families with children. After forming government, the Liberals reduced the second-lowest federal personal income tax rate from 22.0 to 20.5 percent, which for the 2021 tax year applies to individual income between $49,020 and $98,040. However, they simultaneously eliminated several tax credits—for children’s fitness programs, education, textbooks, public transit, and income-splitting for couples with young children—effectively increasing the amount of income taxes payable by Canadians who previously claimed such credits on their tax returns. In fact, a 2017 analysis of these two tax changes—lowering the tax rate and eliminating tax credits—found that 81 percent of middle-income families …