Premium Issues

Back in 2003, Dalton McGuinty promised, in writing that he would not raise taxes. He won that election and then proceeded to levy the biggest tax increase in Ontario history. That was the controversial Health Care Premium. The vast majority of people are unaware of how much health tax they are paying, since it's hidden within income tax. Knowing people who work within payroll, it actually equates to $700 - $800 on average. Surely this has improved health care, right? Well, no. Wait times are still high and there is still a doctor shortage. Some would say service is getting worse, and we're actually paying more for less. I agree with that. Even routine things must be booked months in advance. The health premium is one of many hidden taxes that Ontarians pay. Another example is the so called "debt retirement charge" on your hydro bill, which directly does into general revenue. If people would actually take the time to look at the Ontario government budget reports, they'd be surprised about where taxes come from and how much the government actually spends on things. The reports are freely available online.

So now that we're in election mode, the opposition is trying to make the health premium a major issue. Once again we have Dalton promising he will not raise taxes, but refusing make that promise on camera or in writing. Why should we believe him? On the other hand, you have John Tory planning to scrap the tax. Howard Hampton wants to cut the tax for low income families and plans to reduce it by $450 for middle income earners. Hampton's plan still doesn't solve the problem, since the tax is in place. McGuinty is still blaming Mike Harris, even though he knew about budget issues before he made the "no new taxed" promise.

I'm still a fan of two tier health care for solving the problem. It would give some extra income into the system since high income earners will use it instead. It would relieve some of the pressure on the public system, and the high income earners would still be paying tax into it. It would also give Canadian doctors more incentive to remain in Canada. To keep doctors working in the public sector, we could mandate that a doctor has to work so many hours a week in public hospitals and clinics to maintain a valid doctor's license.

As for the taxes themselves, I think we as Canadians simply pay way too much already. Governments are running surpluses. It's ok to save for a rainy day but the government is not and should not be a for profit organization. Europeans have high taxes but get far better public service. As it stands, Canada's health system is really no better than the US system in which we constantly attack. Sure, everyone is entitled to equal service here no matter their income, but by the same token, that equal treatment usually amounts to only the bare minimum, if that. There is nothing about Canadian health care to be proud about. Ontario is particularly bad since there are more people in the GTA than hospitals can handle, and it's usually the GTA hospitals who are capable of providing more advanced services. We're paying through the nose, having our savings whittled away, so the government can provide sub-standard services.