Vancouver Forum: taxes (canada vs. elsewhere) - Vancouver Forum

then leave

moe to the staes and pay outrageous medical insurance, which will eat up more money than yr taxes do here

retard..

phythr: i would gladly pay the $200/month for health care insurance if it meant the goverment wasn't going to take nearly 40% of my salary!!  the interest write-off on the mortgage alone would be well worth it.. the average american writes off $9,000 per year (37.2 million taxpayers claimed the deduction last year, writing off $336.6 billion).

I'm not saying I want to move to the States -- I love Canada, but I'm sick of everyone jumping around going 'we got health care! we got health care!' -- ignoring the entire fact -- we are getting screwed royally!  and again the health care might be very valuable to someone who lives ignorantly -- drinking, smoking and eating fast every day.. but what about people like me -- who actually look after themselves?  Why should I have to pay for these idiots?

jay	Posted - 2/24/2007 11:37:01 AM phythr: i would gladly pay the $200/month

200?  I have friends in the states paying over 1000 a month.

and you'd also be living in a palce where the old/poor people down the road die beacuse they cant afford health care.  who wants to live in that society?

jay	Posted - 2/24/2007 11:37:01 AM and again the health care might be very valuable to someone who lives ignorantly --

Don;t be silly.  Lots of people need medical care though no fault of their own.  Car accidents caused by others; cance (yes, you can get it even if you live well); other diseases; etc etc.

phythr: okay 200$ might be a low number..

i did some research, here are some recent pricing facts:
"Annual premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance for 2006 average $4,242 for single coverage and $11,480 for family coverage."

so average being about $350/month per person.  my point definitely still stands. -- we are getting ripped off royally.  okay that is great we save some money there ($3500 year)  but does that equal almost 40% of my income?? I think not!

you missed my point entirely.

sure, you might save a little cash, but is that worth watching the poor kids down the road go without medical care because their family can't afford it?

and 11+ k per family is 1000 a month.  not everyone has two incomes.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but there is public health care available for poor people in the U.S. There are public hospitals and clinics.

One more thing...I'm not advocating the U.S. system, but health care in Canada is expensive.  We pay for it through higher taxes.  For example, 33% of B.C.'s budget goes into health care.

and so it should.  what's more important?

  If you don't like the taxes you pay in Canada,then leave..As one who lived in the U.S. for 21 years,near Pasadena,I know first hand how their taxation system works.The poor pay more taxes,the rich pay nothing.Canada is similiar in that regard,but at least Canada doesn't have the frequency of drive-bys,shooting,&violent crimes committed against its citizens.Their life expectancy is a lot lower in major cities that have "ghettos".Think about that and ones quality of living in Canada compared to U.S.If you still think the U.S. is that great,then move there.And there is no free public hospitals,or healthcare in the U.S.I almost spit my orange drink from Subway onto my computer screen when I read that one.Stupid people.

we are getting hosed!

My parents had a sign hanging on their wall that went something like this:  There are 30 million in Canada, but half of these are old or young, so they don't work.  Out of the 15 million left at least 5 million are on welfare, mentally/physically disabled, dying of chronic diseases, hooked on drugs or alcohol or stay-at-home moms, so they don't work.  Out of the ten million left, there are about half that are extremely wealthy, refugees, immigrants that are supported by their families or just plain lazy, so they don't work.  So, the 5 million people that are left have at least half that are in the hospital with car accidents, travelling overseas, taking stress time off work etc.  So out of the 2.5 million people left, two million 4 hundred and 98 thousand have lost their jobs, moved to the States for a higher salary, joined their fellows living on the streets or retired.  So that leaves 2 people left and that is you and me!

Both of us are supporting all the population of Canada!  no wonder we are getting hosed -

It is also twofold, the government could spend more time on a universal childcare program or summer camps for kids - instead we have all kinds of money going towards the obese, the smokers, the junk food eaters, the dare devils and certain interest groups like giving people free drugs to inject themselves or supporting gay pride parades...  (their community should support itself)

you're right

Posted - 2/24/2007 1:51:50 PM the junk food eaters,

You've never eaten junk food?  Never?

You're either a liar, a hyopcrit, or a retard - or more likely all three.

The rich employ accountants and lawyers so they don't have to pay nearly as much tax.

That's left to the 'honest, hard working' masses who are taxed at source and have no choice but to pay it ... they get screwed with parking fines, speeding tickets, taxes on all their purchases, toll roads, interest on what little they can save and eventually after a life time of getting b*tt f*cked by by countless administrations who promise a lot and deliver nothing...you get screwed for inheritance tax. So you need to get 'super rich' and pay nothing..leave that for the 'easy target' schmucks.

It's not as bad as it looks, at least most of the tax we pay comes back from our welfare or social system.  My brother wants to move back to Canada soon after going back to hong kong thinking he could work there permenantly.  He told me about his annual income in hk is around $28,000 CND with annual tax of $22 CND(tax less than 0.01%), even though the tax is low the city is a hell hole to live in with virtually no government social support, this is something most of us might have taken for granted in Canada. I never lived in the US but I guess they're somewhere in between Canada and hk.

You're either a liar, a hyopcrit, or a retard - or more likely all three.

And you can't spell!  Now, there was a time when I did eat junk food, but now I am on a diet of Goji Juice, greens, plenty of green vegies, low-fat cuts of meat, I only drink water or herbal tea and I try to eat organic foods only (rarely have dessert)...

so take your narrow mind and put it somewhere where the sun don't shine

I am talking about those people who have a steady diet of McDonalds, pop, chips and beer (which is probably you)

lol

retard

Our taxes could be justified by our health care except for one thing, our health care system sucks!  A country that spends the most per capita and is ranked thirtieth in terms of care is doing something wrong.  So we get it from both ends, high taxes and crappy health care.

Oh, and our government could use some downsizing as well.  What have they done for us lately?

not really - canada faces challenges that other western countries don't:

[1] the USA pays more for staff etc, due to their system, and therefore due to NAFTA drives up salaries here in Canada too.

[2] it is very costly to provide medicla servies to the far flung places in Canada - flying doctor services, etc.

[3] We live in a f_ucking icebox for most of the year - and this makes for many more falls etc in many parts of the country, driving up ortho costs.

I'm moving to the US after I finish my degree. Health care is for old ppl and the sick. Enjoy being taxed to death.

I always here people talking about how in Canada we are taxed to death compared to our neighbours down south.  I hear in some states like washington or nevada for example: there is no state income tax, a federal tax of about 12% and you can write off the interest on your mortgage (which is a huge deal!!).  It also appears they only have a sales tax of 6.5% on goods and services.

How are they able to offer all this while being trillions of dollars in debt? That seems like a huge advantage compared to the almost 40% I currently give back to the government along with the 14% (gst/pst) added to every purchase I make.  Is it just me or does it seem like we are getting hosed?  Sure maybe the health care is better -- but why should I care?  I'm not smoking, taking drugs, fat, etc.. I eat healthy, exercise and take care of myself.  Am I paying for the healthcare of people with self-inflicted health problems -- lung cancer, heart attacks, etc?  Am I paying for people that decided to have 4 kids and can't afford to?  If so.. I think this is outrageous!  No wonder it seems like I can never get ahead..  I'm giving almost half of everything I make back.