Canada’s Budget-Strained Provinces Face Prospect of Tax Hikes

Ontario started the year with plans to cut taxes and spending, but as the pandemic continues to upend the global economy the province may have to put those efforts on hold.

The provincial government, led by a right-leaning Progressive Conservative Party, isn’t philosophically inclined toward embracing taxes, Ontario’s Finance Minister Rod Phillips said in a recent interview.

But the economic upheaval and increased spending to address the health crisis forced the government to rethink what it can afford and raise from taxpayers ahead of its budget expected in the coming months, he told Bloomberg Tax.

“Obviously, we ...