Reports - 2024-25

• Fiscal cost of task-based IT contracting
  Jan 16, 2025 • RP-2425-024-S
  In response to a request by the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates, this report estimates the fiscal cost of task-based IT contracting in 2022-23. Although the prorogation of Parliament on January 6, 2025, ends the session and all parliamentary business, the majority of the work required for this report was completed at the time of prorogation. Therefore, this report is presented in accordance with the Parliamentary Budget Officer’s mandate to promote budget transparency and accountability.
• Federal Spending on Housing Affordability in 2024
  Dec 12, 2024 • RP-2425-023-S
  This report provides an overview of federal spending and progress towards meeting the overall target of Canada’s National Housing Strategy. This report was written in response to interest from Parliamentarians and the House of Commons Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities.
• Supplementary Estimates (B) 2024-25
  Nov 20, 2024 • RP-2425-022-S
  This report provides a detailed analysis of the Government’s second Supplementary Estimates for the 2024-25 fiscal year, which seeks Parliament’s approval of $21.6 billion.
• Trans Mountain Pipeline – 2024 Report
  Nov 8, 2024 • RP-2425-021-S
  In June 2022, PBO released a report assessing the Government of Canada’s 2018 decision to acquire, expand, operate, and eventually divest of the Trans Mountain Pipeline system. Given that the Trans Mountain Expansion Pipeline began commercial operations on May 1st, 2024, this report provides a current financial valuation of the Trans Mountain Pipeline system and estimates the valuation’s sensitivity to several key factors.
• Costing personal income tax changes: the role of the elasticity of taxable income
  Nov 5, 2024 • RP-2425-019-S
  When fulfilling its mandates, the Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer is often required to estimate the impact proposed changes to personal income taxes will have on the Government of Canada’s revenue. This report provides an overview of the concept of the elasticity of taxable income, which is used to capture behavioural responses to tax changes.
• The Fiscal Implications of Meeting the NATO Military Spending Target
  Oct 30, 2024 • RP-2425-020-S
  This report examines the fiscal implications of Canada’s recent commitment to meet NATO's military spending target of 2% of GDP by 2032.
• Economic and Fiscal Outlook – October 2024
  Oct 17, 2024 • RP-2425-018-S
  This report provides a baseline projection to help parliamentarians gauge potential economic and fiscal outcomes under current policy settings.
• A Distributional Analysis of the Federal Fuel Charge – Update
  Oct 10, 2024 • RP-2425-017-S
  This report provides an update of PBO’s distributional analysis of the federal fuel charge.
• A Distributional Analysis of the Purchasing Power of Canadian Households Since 2019
  Oct 8, 2024 • RP-2425-016-S
  To study the discrepancies in the evolution of the purchasing power of Canadian households, this report provides a distributional analysis of inflation and Canadian household incomes since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our analysis also includes a snapshot of purchasing power at the provincial and territorial level.
• Timely Financial Reporting: A Path Forward for the Public Accounts of Canada
  Sep 13, 2024 • RP-2425-015-S
  The timely publication of the Public Accounts is crucial for transparency and accountability in government finances. However, Canada faces challenges in meeting the International Monetary Fund’s standard for advanced fiscal reporting, which recommends that governments publish their annual financial statements within six months of the end of the fiscal year (September 30th in Canada’s case). This report explores the challenges to the timely publication of the Public Accounts of Canada and offers recommendations to parliamentarians to improve the process.
• Electric Vehicle Availability Standard: Potential Impacts on Ownership Costs and Charger Supply
  Aug 29, 2024 • RP-2425-012-S
  Under the Electric Vehicle Availability Standard, manufacturers will be required to ensure light-duty fleet offerings consistent with a zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) market share of 20 per cent in 2026, 60 per cent in 2030 and 100 per cent in 2035. This report provides an analysis of how the relative ownership costs of ZEV and internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, as well as the market provision of charging infrastructure, may need to adjust to meet the ZEV sales targets under the standard by 2030.
• Fiscal Sustainability Report 2024
  Aug 28, 2024 • RP-2425-014-S
  This report provides PBO’s assessment of the sustainability of government finances over the long term for the federal government, subnational governments and public pension plans.
• Overview of Contingent Liabilities
  Jul 25, 2024 • RP-2425-013-S
  The PBO received multiple parliamentary questions regarding contingent liabilities. Specifically, how they are recorded from a financial perspective, and the reason for the increase in recent years. This report provides additional information to answer these questions.
• Long-Term Fiscal Cost of Major Economic Investment Tax Credits
  Jul 3, 2024 • RP-2425-011-S
  The PBO recently published the five-year costs of five of the new federal investment tax credits (ITC) which target investments in the clean energy and technology sectors. Following these publications, we received requests from parliamentarians to analyze the long-term cost of these ITCs. This report presents a long-term analysis of the six tax credits using the Canada Energy Regulator’s 2023 Canada Net-Zero Scenario as the baseline for our projections.
• The Polar Icebreaker Project: 2024 Update
  Jun 28, 2024 • RP-2425-010-C
  This report provides an updated independent cost estimate of the Development and Acquisition phases of the Polar Icebreaker Project.
• Expansion of SimpleFile by Phone and the implementation of an automatic tax filing system
  Jun 13, 2024 • RP-2425-008-M
  This report provides an analysis of the budgetary impact of expanding the SimpleFile by Phone service offered by CRA as well as a proposed new automatic tax filing service in response to a request from Senator Percy Downe. **On June 19, 2024, Figure 2 and its accompanying text in the report were updated to reflect information provided by the Canada Revenue Agency after the initial publication.**
• Costing Asylum Claims from Visa-Exempt Countries
  May 31, 2024 • RP-2425-007-S
  In response to parliamentary interest, PBO prepared an estimate of the total costs to the federal government associated with asylum claimants who have arrived from visa-exempt countries. This report presents an average unit cost per asylum claimant, based on the costs associated with the federal government organizations involved in the asylum process.
• Supplementary Estimates (A) 2024-25
  May 30, 2024 • RP-2425-009-S
  This report provides a detailed analysis of the Government’s first Supplementary Estimates for the 2024-25 fiscal year, which seeks Parliament’s approval of $11.2 billion.
• Composition of Corporate Income Tax Revenue, 2018 to 2022
  May 29, 2024 • RP-2425-006-C
  In response to a request by the Standing Senate Committee on National Finance, this report provides an overview of the composition of federal corporate income tax revenue from 2018 to 2022.
• Cost Estimate for Bill S-230 (Changes to the correctional system)
  May 24, 2024 • RP-2425-004-C
  This report was prepared in response to a request from the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs to estimate the cost of Bill S-230.
• Federal Spending to Address Homelessness
  May 22, 2024 • RP-2425-005-S
  In response to interest from Parliamentarians and the House of Commons Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities, this self-initiated report provides an update on federal spending to address homelessness.
• Foregone revenue from enhanced GST Rental Rebate on purpose-built rental housing
  May 9, 2024 • RP-2425-003-S
  To help increase the construction of purpose-built rental units, the government introduced an enhancement to the goods and services tax (GST) Rental Rebate. To be eligible for the enhanced rebate, construction must have begun between September 14, 2023 and December 31, 2030. Construction must be finished by December 31, 2035. The PBO estimates that the total foregone GST due to this measure would be $5.8 billion between 2023-24 and 2028-29.
• Budget 2024: Issues for Parliamentarians
  Apr 30, 2024 • RP-2425-002-S
  To assist parliamentarians in their budgetary deliberations, this report highlights key issues arising from Budget 2024.
• Household Formation and the Housing Stock
  Apr 11, 2024 • RP-2425-001-S
  This report provides estimates of household formation and the housing stock in Canada. The report also provides an estimate of the housing gap at the national level based on the total vacancy rate.