How would you finance the Big Fix?

The federal share of the gas tax is currently 10 cents per litre, which brings in roughly $4 billion in revenue per year.

So if you were to raise the gas tax by one cent and dedicate all the new revenues to infrastructure, that would theoretically mean an extra $400 million annually, or $8 billion over the 20 years needed to fix the infrastructure deficit.

Note: Ottawa has previously announced $2 billion in permanent annual funding for municipal infrastructure from its share of the gas tax.

Also keep in mind the existing frustration drivers have over high gas prices and that any gas tax increase may face political resistance.

For each one per cent of the federal GST/HST collected in the last fiscal year, roughly $5.68 billion in revenue was raised. So, in theory, each 0.1 per cent increase would raise $568 million annually, or $11.36 billion over the 20 years needed to fix the infrastructure gap.

Adjust the slider if you want to increase this tax and use the proceeds for infrastructure.

Keep in mind possible political resistance to higher consumer taxes. However, some evidence suggests Canadians may be willing to accept a GST hike if the funds go towards infrastructure.

The federal government collected $113.457 billion in personal income taxes in fiscal 2010/11.

So if you were to increase the entire amount of federal income tax collected by one per cent, that would, in theory, raise an extra $1.135 billion annually. For each 0.25 per cent increase, that would be an extra $5.675 billion over the 20 years needed to fix the infrastructure gap.

Note: This doesn't mean a one per cent tax increase across the board. You could tax all incomes equally, or shift more of the burden to higher-income households.

Keep in mind that raising taxes on individuals could be deeply unpopular.

The federal corporate tax rate in Canada, as of January 1, 2012, will be 15 per cent.

Each increase of one per cent in the Canadian corporate tax rate raises $1.664 billion in revenue, according to rough calculations using 2010 figures.

So each 0.25 per cent increase in the corporate tax rate would, in theory, raise $8.325 billion over the 20 years needed to fix the infrastructure gap.

Keep in mind that while raising corporate taxes may appeal to a segment of the Canadian population, some experts argue that raising corporate taxes will hurt Canada's international competitiveness and job creation.

The federal government spent $239.6 billion total in 2010/11, exclusive of debt charges. If the government were to cut one per cent of its total budget and reapply that money to infrastructure, that would be the equivalent of a $2.396-billion annual investment.

So each 0.25 per cent increase would, in theory, raise an extra $12 billion over the 20 years needed to fix the infrastructure gap.

Keep in mind that this approach would mean reshifting priorities — and likely involve cuts to other departments and/or Crown Corporations.

Provinces raised $90.2 billion in income-related taxes in 2010/11, according to Statistics Canada. If the provinces were to introduce tax hikes equivalent to an extra one per cent of revenue, that would theoretically generate $902 million annually. And, over the 20 years needed to fix the infrastructure deficit, each 0.25 per cent hike would raise an extra $4.51 billion over the 20 years needed to fix the infrastructure deficit.

Note: This doesn't mean a one per cent tax increase across the board. You could tax all incomes equally, or shift more of the burden to higher-income households.

Keep in mind that raising taxes on individuals could be deeply unpopular.

This country has roughly 20 million registered personal vehicles, according to Statistics Canada. If the provinces and territories were to impose a $100 levy on each vehicle when it was registered, that would raise roughly $2 billion annually.

So for every $20 raised, that would raise $8 billion over the 20 years needed to fix the infrastructure gap.

Keep in mind that vehicle registration can be politically risky. Toronto city council overturned a vehicle registration fee in late 2010.

If each province and territory were to implement a special one per cent tax on all items that are currently charged GST/HST, that would raise roughly $5.68 billion per year in new revenues. (This would include Alberta, which currently does not have a sales tax.) This could be done by provinces alone, by municipalities alone, or in tandem.

Keep in mind that tax hikes are never popular, although the idea has its supporters in some municipalities — on the condition the proceeds be used exclusively for infrastructure.

The provincial and territorial governments, as a whole, spent $350.38 billion total in 2010/11, exclusive of debt charges. If all of these governments were to cut one per cent of their budgets and reapply it to infrastructure spending, it would theoretically generate $3.5038 billion per year.

So for each 0.25 per cent increase, that would mean an extra $17.519 billion over the 20 years needed to fix the infrastructure gap.

Keep in mind that this approach would mean reshifting priorities — and would likely involve cuts to other departments and/or Crown Corporations.

Local governments across Canada raised $50.8 billion in property taxes in 2010/2011, according to Statistics Canada. If all Canadian municipalities were to introduce tax hikes equivalent to an extra one per cent of revenue, that would generate $508 million annually across the country.

Note: This doesn't mean each household would face a one per cent hike in their rates. The tax hikes would increase the entire pool by one per cent.

Keep in mind that Canada already has the second-highest property tax rates among OECD nations, so the ability to raise property taxes may be limited.

If every municipality were to implement a special one per cent tax on all items that are currently charged GST/HST, that would raise roughly $5.68 billion per year in new revenues. This could be done by provinces alone, by municipalities alone, or in tandem. This could be a blanket sales tax of one per cent on all goods, or could be involve a more complex combination of other options, including hotel taxes, luxury taxes (on items such as alcohol), and so on. Keep in mind that tax hikes are never popular, although the one-per-cent idea has its supporters in some municipalities — on the condition the proceeds be used exclusively for infrastructure.

Keep in mind that tax hikes are never popular, although the idea has its supporters in some municipalities — on the condition the proceeds be used exclusively for infrastructure.

Local governments, as a whole, spent $128.042 billion total in 2010/11, according to Statistics Canada.

If all of these governments were to cut one per cent of their total budgets and reapply that to infrastructure spending, that translate to a $1.28042-billion annual investment. So each 0.25 per cent increase would mean, in theory, an extra $6.4 billion over the 20 years needed to fix the infrastructure gap.

Keep in mind that this approach would mean reshifting priorities — and would likely involve cuts to other departments and services.