This week’s web-poll of CEOs and business leaders tracks their position on taxes, the impacts of taxes on the economy, and where the expected budget surplus should be allocated or not. The major change - a notable one - is a sharp increase in resistance in allocating more transfer payments to the provinces for healthcare:

• Prior to 2005, about 7% of panellists would single out health transfer payments as an area not to receive any new money. This has jumped to 24%;
  
  
• Prior to 2005, the average amount of surplus that respondents thought should be added to health transfers was 19%. This has dropped to 11%.

The only other position to experience change has been a decline in concern that high Canadian taxes make difficult strategies relating to exchange rates, hiring from abroad, and keeping talented youth from emigrating to the United States.

These are the key findings from this week’s web survey of CEOs and business leaders undertaken by COMPAS for the Financial Post under sponsorship of BDO Dunwoody LLP and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.

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