Sources & methodology

Tax estimates

The calculator shows simplified 2025 national income tax estimates (2025–26 for the UK, Australia and New Zealand). Australia includes resident rates, the low income tax offset and the 2% Medicare levy with its single low-income phase-in; New Zealand uses Inland Revenue’s 2025–26 rates, excluding the ACC earners’ levy and tax credits. Neither country has state or regional income tax. Regional estimates cover all 13 Canadian provinces/territories and all 50 US states plus DC. They use progressive brackets or flat rates, basic personal credits or standard deductions, and selected jurisdiction-specific adjustments. Ontario includes its surtax and Health Premium; Quebec includes the federal abatement. Single-person provincial tax reductions are included for BC, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI and Newfoundland and Labrador. US states without wage income tax correctly show zero regional wage tax. Income is used as taxable income unless the national model explicitly applies an allowance. Payroll deductions and related credits, employment credits, RRSP deductions and personal circumstances are excluded. These figures are educational; the remaining income is not an actual paycheque estimate.

Single, under 65, no dependants, full-year resident with ordinary wage income. No investment or self-employment income. Canadian income is treated as net and taxable income; US income is treated as AGI before the listed deductions. CPP/EI, QPP/QPIP, FICA, National Insurance, city/county taxes, itemized deductions, refundable benefits, alternative minimum tax and some low-income credits are excluded. This can materially overstate tax at low incomes. The formula panel lists jurisdiction-specific omissions and links to official rules. Bracket formulas may differ slightly from official tax-table rounding.

Proportional spending illustrations

Estimated tax for a jurisdiction × a category’s actual expenditure ÷ that jurisdiction’s reported expense total. A tax year may differ from the labelled spending snapshot. National and provincial illustrations use separate tax amounts and denominators. Transfers must not be summed across governments as additional spending. Loans, announcements, contract awards and historical project costs are not automatically annual expenses.

BC: 2025 tax rules; 2024–25 actual operating expenses. US states and DC: 2025 tax rules; FY2024 actual general expenditure from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of State Government Finances (DC from the State and Local Government Finances survey). General expenditure includes federal grants and payments to local governments; insurance trust (pensions, unemployment), utility and liquor-store spending are excluded. Other provincial spending models are deferred. Existing national historical project comparisons retain their own stated limitations.

Our article process

Find a story → check primary sources → write an original draft → an editor reviews the exact version → publish the approved version in a reviewed deployment. Drafts are excluded from all public pages, feeds and the sitemap. Changing an approved article invalidates its approval until it is reviewed again.

An unusual project is not automatically wasteful. We distinguish planned amounts, awards, commitments and cash paid; identify currency and time period; explain the legitimate purpose; and label satire. Stories may be historical and do not imply a new spending decision.

Corrections

Each article links to its evidence. If a claim changes, the article must be checked and approved again. Keep the source record, date, jurisdiction and calculation when reporting a possible error to the site owner.