BC has work to do when it comes to giving
Posted December 13, 2012 7:04 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – We like to think we’re a pretty generous bunch, especially this time of year; but are we really? A study finds British Columbia has some work to do when it comes to giving.
We may be the best place on earth, but certainly not the most charitable, according to the Fraser Institute’s 2012 Generosity Index. The report is based on yearly tax receipts.
“BC has ranked 51st out of 64, so it’s actually quite low when compared to other provinces and US states,” notes Charles Lammam, associate director of the Fraser Institute Centre for Tax and Budget Policy.
“The general trend is Canadian provinces are less generous than US states. But within Canada, BC ranks sixth overall out of 13 jurisdictions. That’s the 10 provinces and the three territories, so we’re about middle of the pack.”
But there is one thing we can be proud of: how we stack in the size of donations.
“Canada-wide, [the average] is about $1,400 [in annual donations]. In British Columbia, it’s about $1,800. So, we’re actually quite high when it comes to the average amount donated,” explains Lammam.
In fact, we’re second only to Alberta on that score.
The most generous provinces overall are Manitoba, Prince Edward Island, and Saskatchewan.
