Which country taxes you the most?

[Claeren]

I am always shocked by how many sales-type taxes i find on my bills when i am in the States.


But more importantly, Canada has done a lot of tax cutting (and debt cutting) in the last 10 years compared to most of the first world. GST alone has been cut more then 25%! And most other taxes have also been cut, at both the federal and provincial level.

Regardless if our exact rank is correct, i think most of us should be pleased with what we get relative to what we pay compared to most of the world.



Claeren.

[worth]

I thought I heard somewhere that out of the all the NHL teams in North America, Alberta is the 3rd best place to live if you're talking about tax reasons.

[Claeren]

Originally Posted by Cowboy89

Actually yes. Incidently we're free riders on the issue of self-defence and in terms of new health care drugs and procedures. Americans put in the R&D in healthcare due to large pharma companies and private hospitals, and when they make a break-through as a result of billions of US dollars spent we copy them and make generic drugs and provide such procedures without bearing any of the development cost. It's big reason why our Socialized Health Care system costs less (The other being that medical labor and capital is rationed as opposed to being used when needed). On the issue of defence a lot of what the American's do to protect their interests abroad, also as a side effect protect our interests. Same thing goes for R&D, American companies and government develop military implements and we buy them years later for a fraction of the cost.

I think you could also argue the opposite.

Canada has had its health costs pushed forward due to cost pressures from the States. If they are paying $80k for a nurse then we need to as well so ours don't to. When they steal our very well trained nurses frm a government subsidized facility the tax payer loses big time here. When they lure away our well trained and experienced doctors, after we subsidized the cost of their education often to a factor of 10 or more compared to the States, we not only lose that doctor but have to pay every other doctor more, etc.

American foriegn policy has likely tripled or more the cost of defense in Canada. During the cold war we no doubt benefited, but it has been without direction for far too long, and the poor way in which they monitor the dollars poured into the industrial complex has resulted in a self perpetuating cycle of arms sales and new conflicts to use them in.

As for health break-throughs, Canada has more then there fair share, we have our own drug approval system, and we often have to fight an expensive battle against self-serving American pharma-comanies that only care about themselves and the bottom line, and not the sick consumer.


Etc etc


Claeren.

[Claeren]

Originally Posted by fotze

Something doesn't look right there, I've already paid the taxman $31k this year and its only March.

AND you spend this much time on CP?!

You need a right-hand man at all to run errands or something?! I am not as funny as you but i will work hard? lol...



Claeren.

[troutman]

This is what my German (well, actually he is Dutch, lives near Frankfurt)) father-in-law had to say:

as always any statistic is as good as you use figures and information.

This table is for SINGLES the % for married without children is 33,6%
They used an taxable income of € 38,000,00 or C$ 57,000,00 ( from gross income have been deducted around 3000 till 5000 for social security)

The social security part is only payable up to an income of € 54,600.00 for medical and € 63,000,00 for Pension

Here comes the unsocial part some body with an taxable income of € 120,000,00 C$ 180,000,00 pays 28,8 % Tax or € 34,600,00

And social security medical 7,5 % of 54,600,00 ( GAP)or € 4.095,00 and Pension and unemployment 11,5% of € 63,000,00 (GAP) or € 7.245,00
Total deductions € 34600, + 4095 + 7245 = 45940,00 or 38,2 %

The maximum tax rate is 42% + soli for the east of 5,5 of tax or 44,31% but this rate start at € 120.000,00
The state pension at age 65 is depending of the amount paid in at a life time, if someone paid always the highest premium he will receive a state pension of € 26,400,00

[Iowa_Flames_Fan]

Originally Posted by Clever_Iggy

Iowa - do you have an idea of how that changes for a higher tax bracket? Do tax payers in the US pay less tax than Canadians once the taxpayers income reaches a certain level?

I suspect that's the case, but TBQH, I don't know.

[Montana Moe]

From another discussion I had with a friend from Copenhagen, Denmark (Married with a child). I think it has relevance to this thread.

I pay 54% tax...
The VAT is 25% and the property tax is .8%, the above mentioned 54% is the payroll deductions. I don't have to pay any premiums or deductibles on my healthcare, which actually covers me in all of Europe, not only Denmark. Energy taxes keep the gas price around $9/gallon, so yes our taxes are high...

If I earn $1000 I get to keep $ 462. If I use that money to buy groceries I would pay another $92 in taxes, which means that on the original $1000, I get to use $370.

[Cowboy89]

Originally Posted by Claeren

I think you could also argue the opposite.

Canada has had its health costs pushed forward due to cost pressures from the States. If they are paying $80k for a nurse then we need to as well so ours don't to. When they steal our very well trained nurses frm a government subsidized facility the tax payer loses big time here. When they lure away our well trained and experienced doctors, after we subsidized the cost of their education often to a factor of 10 or more compared to the States, we not only lose that doctor but have to pay every other doctor more, etc.

As for health break-throughs,Canada has more then there fair share, we have our own drug approval system, and we often have to fight an expensive battle against self-serving American pharma-comanies that only care about themselves and the bottom line, and not the sick consumer.

Claeren.

Even if no one was permitted to move away from the country we'd still have to pay nurses and doctors good money because the same kind of skill set that makes a good doctor or a nurse can also do a number of other lucreative career paths. Why make less money and put yourself through medical school, and the hell that is an average day working in that field? Well of course some of the doctors and nurses would say that they do it because they want to and it makes them feel good . . . . however try filling the ranks that you need entirely made up of those people. It's naive at best to assume that there would be enough doctors and nurses willing to work for peanuts because they love it as the case with pretty much every other career. We already have enough in Calgary that have retired early, left the practice, or gone on to do cosmetic procedures because they don't make enough scratch to continue doing it.

As for American pharma-companies yeah they're self-serving, yeah they make some drugs that benefit their bottom line, but as a side effect they also make some useful drugs that without a profit motive would have taken years longer(If at all) to develop in a socialist setting. We have to fight an expensive battle with them because they just blew billions developing said drugs and then we want to make them sell it at a price that doesn't support their business plan.

[RougeUnderoos]

Originally Posted by Cowboy89

Actually yes. Incidently we're free riders on the issue of self-defence and in terms of new health care drugs and procedures. Americans put in the R&D in healthcare due to large pharma companies and private hospitals, and when they make a break-through as a result of billions of US dollars spent we copy them and make generic drugs and provide such procedures without bearing any of the development cost. It's big reason why our Socialized Health Care system costs less (The other being that medical labor and capital is rationed as opposed to being used when needed). On the issue of defence a lot of what the American's do to protect their interests abroad, also as a side effect protect our interests. Same thing goes for R&D, American companies and government develop military implements and we buy them years later for a fraction of the cost.

I don't really buy the idea that we are "free riders" on the backs of Glaxo-Smith-Kline or Pfizer. It's not like they are altruistically doing this research for the benefit of Canadians. They do it to make money and they make a hell of a lot of it and good for them, but they aren't giving us a free ride.

As for the defense, sure, they cover our ass, but they aren't "protecting our interests" by blowing a million bucks a minute in Iraq. And they do all that military R&D so they can kick ass, not look out for us.

[Cowboy89]

Originally Posted by RougeUnderoos

I don't really buy the idea that we are "free riders" on the backs of Glaxo-Smith-Kline or Pfizer. It's not like they are altruistically doing this research for the benefit of Canadians. They do it to make money and they make a hell of a lot of it and good for them, but they aren't giving us a free ride.

As for the defense, sure, they cover our ass, but they aren't "protecting our interests" by blowing a million bucks a minute in Iraq. And they do all that military R&D so they can kick ass, not look out for us.

When you're 50, who cares why you have Viagra, just be thankful that you do indeed have Viagra!