MONTREAL, QUEBEC--(Marketwire - June 11, 2012) - Tax Freedom Day falls on Sunday, June 17 in Quebec, four days later than in 2011, according to the Fraser Institute's annual Tax Freedom Day calculations.

"The provincial government's decision to hike the QST to 9.5 per cent from 8.5 per cent is one of the main reasons for the later arrival of Tax Freedom Day this year," said Filip Palda, Fraser Institute senior fellow and professor at the Ecole nationale d'administration publique.

"As a result of the tax hike, the average Quebec family will pay $491 more in sales taxes in 2012. Had the government not raised the QST, Tax Freedom Day would have fallen two days earlier, on June 15 rather than June 17."

Quebec celebrates the second latest Tax Freedom Day among all Canadian provinces, ahead of only Newfoundland and Labrador. The complete report is available at http://www.fraserinstitute.org.

On Tax Freedom Day, the average Quebec family has earned enough money to pay the taxes imposed on it by all levels of government over the course of the year. If Quebecers were required to pay all of their taxes up front, they would have to pay governments each and every dollar they earned prior to Tax Freedom Day.

"Quebec families face among the greatest tax burdens nationwide. For perspective, families in Ontario celebrate Tax Freedom Day on June 10, a full week earlier than those in Quebec," Palda said.

When calculations of tax rates are averaged across Canada, Tax Freedom Day falls nationally on June 11.

Tax Freedom Day varies from province to province, depending on the taxation levels of provincial and local governments. Alberta continues to enjoy the earliest Tax Freedom Day on May 22, followed by Prince Edward Island on June 2 and New Brunswick on June 6. Manitoba's Tax Freedom Day falls on June 7 followed by British Columbia (June 8), Ontario (June 10), Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia (June 12), and Quebec on June 17. Newfoundland and Labrador has the latest Tax Freedom Day, June 21.

While all but three Canadian provinces (Newfoundland and Labrador, BC, and Alberta) experience a later Tax Freedom Day in 2012 than in 2011, Quebec experiences the largest delay in its 2012 Tax Freedom Day, coming four days later than in 2011.

Reasons for a later Tax Freedom Day

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The Fraser Institute: Quebecers Celebrate Tax Freedom Day on June 17, Four Days Later Than 2011