As April 30 approaches and Canadians get ready to file their personal tax returns it seems appropriate to take some time to understand the taxes we pay.

While some taxes - like GST/HST/PST and personal income taxes – are fairly obvious, there is a surprising amount of complexity embedded in Canada's tax system.

In a given day, the lives of Canadians are impacted by many different taxes: gas taxes, goods and services taxes, provincial taxes, property taxes, user fees and municipal taxes.

To help Canadians better understand our country's tax system and penetrate through some of its complexity, Jason Fleming, a chartered professional accountant and course director at York University’s School of Administrative Studies, has written a digital book Insights Into Canadian Tax Complexity.

The complexity of Canada's tax system is revealed through a simple story: Michelle's Day. As we shadow Michelle during a typical day in her life, we see the myriad ways that she – like us – is affected by taxation.

This book is offered free through CanadaOne. Download it now to better understand the taxes you pay.

Download Insights Into Canadian Tax Complexity