Activity 01
The Community Budget Challenge
In small groups, students are given a mock municipal budget with a total tax revenue amount. They must allocate funds to various public services like parks, libraries, road maintenance, and emergency services, justifying their decisions to the class.
Explain the purpose of taxes in a community.
Facilitation TipProvide role-playing cards for different community stakeholders to encourage debate and perspective-taking.
What to look forAn 'exit ticket' where students must calculate the final price of two different items, one with only GST and another with HST, based on their local provincial rates.
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Activity 02
Retail Receipt Reality Check
Using local retail flyers, students choose several items to 'purchase'. They must then calculate the correct provincial sales tax (PST/GST or HST) and the final cost of their shopping basket.
Compare the way sales tax is calculated to how income tax might be calculated.
Facilitation TipHave a chart of current provincial tax rates available for easy reference.
What to look forStudents create a simple infographic or poster that explains one type of tax (e.g., sales or income), shows how it is calculated, and illustrates three public services it helps fund.
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Activity 03
My First Pay Cheque
Students analyze a simplified pay stub for a part-time job. They identify the gross pay, calculate deductions for income tax (using a single percentage for simplicity), and determine the net pay.
Identify three public services that are funded by taxes in your community.
Facilitation TipStart by defining gross pay versus net pay with a clear whole-class example.
What to look forStudents complete a checklist rating their confidence on a scale of 1-4 for skills like 'I can calculate the HST on a purchase' and 'I can explain why we pay taxes'.
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Generate Complete Lesson→A few notes on teaching this unit
Begin by brainstorming services students use daily, like roads and schools, and ask how they think these are paid for. Use local retail flyers to make tax calculations tangible and relevant. Introduce income tax with a simplified scenario of a part-time job to differentiate it from sales tax.
Students will be able to calculate sales tax on everyday purchases and explain how tax revenue contributes to the well-being of their community.
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
The price on the tag is the final price you pay.
In Canada, most goods and services have sales tax added at the cash register. The final cost is the sticker price plus the calculated GST/PST or HST.
Taxes are just money the government takes without giving anything back.
Tax revenue is used to pay for public services that everyone benefits from, such as healthcare, schools, roads, police services, and parks. It is a collective contribution to our community's well-being.
Everyone pays the same amount of income tax.
Canada uses a progressive tax system for income. This means people with higher incomes pay a larger percentage of their income in tax than people with lower incomes.
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