Zach Dennis <zdennis / mktec.com> wrote in message news:<41879121.2000203 / mktec.com>...
> Things may have changed....but some information I found.
> 
> http://www.readersdigest.ca/mag/1999/06/think_01.html
> 
> Zach
> 
> Austin Ziegler wrote:
> 
> >On Wed, 3 Nov 2004 01:00:56 +0900, Zach Dennis <zdennis / mktec.com>
> >wrote:
> >  
> >
> >>Ok here is a quick 2 cents while I have quick 5 minute break at
> >>work...
> >>
> >>1. I do not like Kerry because I do not believe things like
> >>Healthcare should be government backed, provided, etc...
> >>    
> >>
> >
> >.... whereas I believe that healthcare should be out of the hands of
> >those interested in high profit margins. Note that the US has a
> >situation worse than Canada, because of HMOs, who are more stingy
> >than the Canadian government.
> >
> >  
> >
> >>The more control the government has over things the less choice
> >>each individual american gets. Also if the government plans to
> >>help with healthcare, and they are going to make sure everyone is
> >>and can be covered by the government provided healthcase that
> >>wants to be then where is the money coming from?
> >>    
> >>
> >
> >Group purchasing drives costs down. Way down.
> >
> >  
> >
> >>Healthcare isn't cheap, and I'm not a big fan of running
> >>government provided healthcare like Canada where the income tax is
> >>some absurd number at or above 50%.
> >>    
> >>
> >
> >Zach, speaking as a dual-US and Canadian citizen, your numbers are
> >bunk. My annual income tax hovers somewhere around 30% of my total
> >income

The mistaken belief that Canadians pay 50% in income tax is because
people
use "marginal" tax rates when doing the comparison, instead of using a
person's
overall or average tax rate.

Your "marginal" tax rate is probably closer to 50%. Mine was 45% in
2003.
For those unfamiliar with  financial terms, a person's marginal tax
rate is how much tax they would pay on one additional dollar of
income.  Due to the fact that the tax rates increase as your income
increases.

But, your overall tax rate ie. (total tax paid/total income taxed) x
100 is probably
closer to 30% as you've said.  In 2003, my average tax rate in Ontario
was 26%.

Another problem when comparing US and Canadian income taxes is that
the rates
usually quoted from Canadian returns are the combined federal and
provincial
tax rates.  This is because in Canada your province's tax return is
simply a section
of your federal tax return (except in Quebec).  In the US, state tax
returns are filed separately, and are usually not referred to when
comparing tax rates.

Additionally, in the US the percentage of income paid for Social
Security (FICA) and
Medicare, is quite a bit higher than the percentage paid by Canadians
for the Canada Pension Plan (CPP).
It's the old  "apples to apples" versus "apples to oranges".

Stephen Gallagher