There's more generosity south of the border than in Canada, according to a Fraser Institute report released this morning.
The report finds that the U.S. outstrips Canada in charitable giving, with 26.7% of American tax filers donating to charity, compared with 23.3% of Canadians.
When it comes to the depth of giving, the gap widens. The report found that in 2010, Americans gave 1.38% of their aggregate income to charity – a rate that's more than double the giving north of the border. In 2010, Canadians gave 0.66% of their aggregate income to charity.
The report added that, had Canadians given at the same rate as Americans in that year, Canadian charities would have benefited from an additional $9.2 billion in private donations.
The report placed B.C. in the middle of the pack for charitable giving in Canada, ranking seventh out of the 13 provinces and territories, with 22% of British Columbians giving to charity.
B.C.'s individual givers, however, ranked comparatively better, landing B.C. in fourth place for the percentage of income given to charity (0.8%) and in second place for average charitable donation ($1,832).
Nationally, Manitoba led the way as the most generous province, with 26.2% of its tax filers giving to charity, and Quebec was identified as the most miserly province, with 21.9% of its tax filers donating.
