Taxes eat up 42% of average Canadian family's income

[Virge_]

Almost 52% (approx. 51.7%) for me between federal, state, county, and city and I still pay $1,300/m for individual healthcare.

Can someone link me Canada's citizenship requirements?

 

[jackstar7]

What's that? You're complaining about conservatives that don't want to spend money yet are bitching up a storm about how much taxes you pay?

Awww, that's cute. Maybe one day you will learn.

It's not about what you pay, it's about what you get for your money.

I'd never expect that to make sense to you though.

 

[DrPizza]

If you include employer side taxes that more or less are a payroll tax, and consider employer contributions to health care to be a part of salary, and that amount as a tax (to be fair, since payroll taxes in Canada provide health care), then I have little doubt the average person's total tax burden in the U.S. exceeds that 42%.

E.g., let's take a worker whose salary is $75k. In addition to his paying 6.2% FICA, his employer is also paying 6.2%. Effectively, the employee is earning $79,957, and is having 12.4% taken out = $9915 in tax. And, let's say the employer is contributing $12k to the employee's health insurance - effectively, the employee is earning 91,957. $12k + $9.9k is 23.8%. So, right there - 23.8% "tax" before you even get to federal and state income taxes. Not to mention, most of the taxes listed in the OP.

edit: ooops, I left out the 1.45% medicaid tax. So, over 25% in tax, before you even get to federal and state income taxes, sales tax, property taxes, taxes built into the cost of things like alcoholic beverages, occupancy taxes, ... edit edit: I just realized there's an error in the 12.4% tax - I should have taken out 6.2% of the 79,957 (which brings it down to $75k), then an additional 6.2% of the $75k, rather than 12.4% of the 79,957. That's $300 less in total tax. And, the 1.45% is only on the first $75k. So, my grand total is off by a couple tenths of a percent; negligible for the point I'm trying to make.

 

[senseamp]

Americans spend as much to cover just seniors and the poor as other developed countries spend to cover everyone. So it's not like we are saving money on taxes. We pay enough taxes for free health care, don't get it, and then have to pay $1K/month for private coverage on top of the taxes. So we pay for health care twice. Why? Because our "innovative" drug companies and health care providers deserve it.

 

[WHAMPOM]

i am honestly not shocked.

http://www.torontosun.com/2015/08/2...rage-canadian-familys-income-fraser-institute

You complaining or bragging? Let's see some comparable TAX rates on a $80,000.00 income for German, France, Japan? Forget the U.S.A. if you tell them their actual tax rates they will burn you at the stake as a heretic.

 

[Grooveriding]

Americans spend as much to cover just seniors and the poor as other developed countries spend to cover everyone. So it's not like we are saving money on taxes. We pay enough taxes for free health care, don't get it, and then have to pay $1K/month for private coverage on top of the taxes. So we pay for health care twice. Why? Because our "innovative" drug companies and health care providers deserve it.

There is more to it than this as well. The cost of procedures in the US are much higher than they are in many other countries. This is the result of applying the sort of unchecked free market reasoning to healthcare that gets applied to other industries. I work in the healthcare field and could increase my salary by, worst case, 30% after exchange rates by moving to and working in the US.

The US spends more on healthcare than any other nation, but has a lower quality of delivered care on a per capita basis than many other countries, Canada being just one of them The system is plain broken. I am a firm believer that healthcare, along with roads, vital infrastructure, law enforcement and the like, is something that your government should be providing with tax revenue. It's a basic human right in any country worth living in and with the prosperity/tax revenue available to support it. The US poorly allocates large amounts of tax revenue into industries that don't justify the amount of funding they get, imo. We still have private health insurance via our employers here, but it covers more limited aspects of healthcare. Things like a private room/semi-private room in hospitals, physiotherapy, equipment - ie. crutches, wheelchairs etc. The meat and potatoes of any medical care needed is all covered with our taxes though.

If I felt there were any weak point in our medical system that the US' does better at it would be diagnostics in respect to wait times. Even in this case though priority is determined with triage and someone who needs to be in the MR or CT right away gets in it right away. Still, there are quality of life benefits to being able to get diagnostic imaging more quickly for less imminent presentations. In this case you do have the option in certain provinces of paying privately for diagnostics, and again, your health coverage from your employer can cover this if you have it. Not to mention the cost of diagnostics is also lower here than the US if you pay privately.


We certainly do pay decent taxes here.

http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/ndvdls/fq/txrts-eng.html

Straight income tax rates for 2015.

Then we have 13% combined sales taxes on goods and services that gets divided between the federal and provincial governments, property taxes and so forth.

 

[5150Joker]

What's that? You're complaining about conservatives that don't want to spend money yet are bitching up a storm about how much taxes you pay?

Awww, that's cute. Maybe one day you will learn.

Conservatives want to use that tax money to spy on US civilians, start foreign wars and other nonsensical shit. If they spent it the same way as Canada does that'd be an entirely different matter.

 

[Sonikku]

Canada. Taxes like the US except with cool stuff on top. Canadians get the kind of stuff from their taxes that conservatives here insist is impossible.

 

[Zorkorist]

Canadian Debt Clock.

http://www.debtclock.ca/

-John

This should be standard...

Liberals start spouting off about how their Government is good...

Debt Clock.

-John

 

[Sonikku]

Canadian Debt Clock.

http://www.debtclock.ca/

-John

This should be standard...

Liberals start spouting off about how their Government is good...

Debt Clock.

-John

Just look at all the debt those crazy Canadians with all that extra welfare has gotten them compared to us.

http://www.usdebtclock.org/

Well FUCK.

 

[Zorkorist]

Well fuck! Indeed.

-John

 

[who?]

Here in Fayetteville Arkansas our state sales tax is only 6.5% but the county charges 1.25% and the city charges 2.00% and if you stay at a hotel or motel or have prepared food in Fayetteville there is an additional 2.00% city tax.

 

[Zorkorist]

There probably won't be much of a Christmas in Whoville.

The Grinch stole Christmas.

-John

 

[master_shake_]

There probably won't be much of a Christmas in Whoville.

The Grinch stole Christmas.

-John

:biggrin:

 

[bozack]

Americans spend as much to cover just seniors and the poor as other developed countries spend to cover everyone. So it's not like we are saving money on taxes. We pay enough taxes for free health care, don't get it, and then have to pay $1K/month for private coverage on top of the taxes. So we pay for health care twice. Why? Because our "innovative" drug companies and health care providers deserve it.

and where do you suppose funding for new treatments and medicines comes from should costs be regulated?....I know there is this common myth on here about how NIH and others would be able to push discoveries forward but its a joke....

drug discovery is a long and expensive process with a limited return given patent expirations and the generic market.

hey I'd love for companies to dedicate resources out of the goodness of their hearts but that just isn't how things work.

 

[Zorkorist]

Companies do research and development (R&D), but that is in the absence of and limited by overwhelming Government Regulation and Taxation.

-John

 

[WhipperSnapper]

i am honestly not shocked.

That's probably the same or less than what Americans pay. However, Canadians probably get much more out of it, like free health care. If the average American spends 17-18% of their income on health care (which is the percentage of GDP Americans spend on health care), and if the Canadians spent the same, then in American terms the number would be more like 24-25% if you don't include health care costs.

(Of course, Canada spends a much smaller percentage of its GDP on health care, which is one of the benefits of more efficient socialized medicine.)

It's not about what you pay, it's about what you get for your money.

Yup. The free marketers will never get that part. For their money, Americans get a big military, wealthy CEOs and stockbrokers, killed and disabled military veterans, and Middle East instability.

 

[WhipperSnapper]

Lol, it's not that bad up there. And I don't care whether it is privatized or government run, it's whatever works best for the country in question in outcomes, cost, and distribution. We've yet to find what works best for us, maybe someday.

Americans aren't even looking for "what works best".

 

[ElFenix]

Canadian Debt Clock.

http://www.debtclock.ca/

-John

This should be standard...

Liberals start spouting off about how their Government is good...

Debt Clock.

-John

and? debt isn't bad.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

It's not about what you pay, it's about what you get for your money.

I'd never expect that to make sense to you though.

Conservatives want to use that tax money to spy on US civilians, start foreign wars and other nonsensical shit. If they spent it the same way as Canada does that'd be an entirely different matter.

Aaaaand this is where you misunderstand everything and only accept what the media gives you.

No real conservative is in favor of government spending. We want less spending, hence, "conservative". Any connection to boots on the ground, invading the middle east, etc... are simply a part of a group of the few.

In addition, finger pointing things like "use that tax money to spy on US civilians"... Hate to break it to your insignificant brain, but everything in that regard has been straight down the bi-partisan line

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

Here in Fayetteville Arkansas our state sales tax is only 6.5% but the county charges 1.25% and the city charges 2.00% and if you stay at a hotel or motel or have prepared food in Fayetteville there is an additional 2.00% city tax.

Try staying in a hotel in a place like Chicago, IL.

Hotel tax rate was ~21%+, sales tax was 10.25%+ if I recall. All while being on the brink of bankrupcy with some of the highest taxes in one of the most liberal voting cities.

 

[waggy]

Try staying in a hotel in a place like Chicago, IL.

Hotel tax rate was ~21%+, sales tax was 10.25%+ if I recall. All while being on the brink of bankrupcy with some of the highest taxes in one of the most liberal voting cities.

Chicago is totally corrupt too. the mishandling of the teachers' pension is a huge problem for chicago.

every year you hear about new taxes or taxes going up. its pretty bad

 

[fskimospy]

Aaaaand this is where you misunderstand everything and only accept what the media gives you.

No real conservative is in favor of government spending. We want less spending, hence, "conservative". Any connection to boots on the ground, invading the middle east, etc... are simply a part of a group of the few.

In addition, finger pointing things like "use that tax money to spy on US civilians"... Hate to break it to your insignificant brain, but everything in that regard has been straight down the bi-partisan line

You realize that US conservatives were overwhelmingly supportive of US boots on the ground in Iraq, right? This is basically the definition of the 'no true Scotsman' fallacy.

You might not like some of the uglier aspects of US conservatism, but that doesn't make them not conservatives.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

You realize that US conservatives were overwhelmingly supportive of US boots on the ground in Iraq, right? This is basically the definition of the 'no true Scotsman' fallacy.

You might not like some of the uglier aspects of US conservatism, but that doesn't make them not conservatives.

Your fucking front runner voted for it too, dumbass.

I'm not saying conservatives didn't vote that way either, hence bi-partisan. Once again, your reading comprehension fails. You love to cherry-pick and say that politicians views are the views of all of the people

 

[fskimospy]

Your fucking front runner voted for it too, dumbass.

I'm not saying conservatives didn't vote that way either, hence bi-partisan. Once again, your reading comprehension fails. You love to cherry-pick and say that politicians views are the views of all of the people

It most certainly was not bipartisan, and you saying that Hillary voted for it too is exactly the type of cherry picking you are accusing me of, genius. Hypocrite.

Polling from the time shows US conservatives overwhelmingly in support of the invasion of Iraq and US liberals opposed. The vote totals in congress were near unanimous support by conservatives, and a majority of house democrats opposed, with a majority of democratic senators in favor. So not only was the legislative support nowhere near the same, polling support was radically different.

Face the undeniable facts, US conservatives support boots on the ground.