Debt-Financed Government Spending Imposes ‘Real Economic Costs’ on Canadians: Study

Debt-Financed Government Spending Imposes ‘Real Economic Costs’ on Canadians: Study
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland responds to questions from the opposition after delivering the federal budget in the House of Commons in Ottawa on April 7, 2022. The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld
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The notion that debt-financed government spending has a “low fiscal cost” is not only misleading, but also hides the fact that it has real economic costs, even when the interest rates are very low, a recent study says.

“There is no free lunch when it comes to debt-financed government spending. Even with record low interest rates, there are real costs imposed on the economy and Canadians,” said study co-author Bev Dahlby, a senior fellow with the Fraser Institute, in a press release on July 7.