Where do my taxes go?

How your contribution is calculated

The idea is simple. A government funds its spending from its total revenue. If you contribute a certain amount of that revenue in tax, then your personal share of any spending is the same proportion:

your share = (your annual tax ÷ total government revenue) × the spending amount

For example, if you pay $12,000 in federal tax and total federal revenue is about $508 billion, your share of every dollar is roughly 0.0000024%. Applied to a $19 billion program, that's about $449 of your money — small, but real and yours.

Note: the federal government spends more than it collects, so total spending (~$586 billion) exceeds revenue. That's why your share of total spending can come out a bit higher than the tax you actually paid — the gap is funded by borrowing.

Why the numbers are so tiny

Canada's federal government collects hundreds of billions of dollars from millions of taxpayers. Any single person is a minuscule fraction of that total, so your share of a specific line item is often a fraction of a cent. That doesn't mean it's meaningless — it's exactly what "your tax dollars at work" adds up to, made concrete.

Important assumptions and limits

• This is an illustrative estimate, not an audited figure. It assumes spending is funded proportionally by revenue.
• Governments also fund spending through borrowing (deficits) and non-tax revenue, and they transfer money between federal and provincial levels. This model does not separate those flows.
• Revenue figures are round approximations for a recent year and are editable — enter a more precise number if you have one.
• "Your annual tax" is whatever you choose to include. For the fairest result, include your income tax plus a rough estimate of the sales, fuel, and other taxes you pay to that level of government.