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Obviously it was an example but if anyone actually started makign such comments regarding MY personal informationI would have them canned in no time.

Her comments and questions wer completely irrelevant to the job she was performing, her snide comments are grounds for instant dismissal, in this country anyway, no matter HOW much informatio she had in frint of her, she was still way out of line and it wouldn't stick.

Don't they tax the heck out of you up in Canada? I went to a burger joint restaurant in Toronto and the prices started out all right, but after they slammed that PST and GST on, the bill was pretty pricey.....

Their "free" medical (as uninformed people in the US like to call it).

Also their roads and many other services.

It is high but at least the government isn't burying the tax in the price. When you buy Smokes or Gas in the US, do you know how much of that purchase is tax? They do.

Gotta pay your taxes, and this way helps them get more from visitors to help pay for everything instead of just taking payroll taxes.

Not sure how payroll and property taxes work. I am sure OZ can let us know? Thanks.

(not a slam on Canada, it's medical, or its tax system. More a slam on the dumb dumbies in the US that know and care nothing for what is up there.)

I'd have started singing "Oh Canada" as soon as the shrub got his second term... I can stand the cold... but hubby was born in Texas, and doesn't deal well with anything colder than 70 degrees F.

You sure as **** got a lot more snow last winter than we did though! It really put me off the 'great white south' altogether, far too cold for us Canadians!

ACtually you have a good point but really GST is just ONEminiscule tax when lookng at booze, smokes and gas,most are still buried in the price, that's why these items are so much cheaper on an indian reservation (aka'Casino' in modern terms).

The island is loaded with reservations (probably a reason we have government protected forests that the US owned logging companies fight for each year). I know plenty of people with status cards so booze and smokes are getting cheaper for me now.


As for property and income taxes, I believe your income taxes are a little lower on average. Propperty taxes, much as they are in the US are dependant on location of course. But again I believe them to be similiar if not lower in most cases for Canadians than Americans.

The US does tax it's higher income earners (>$250,000.00/yr approx) at a higher rate than Canada does. The average individual income tax in the US is usually within 2 or 3% of Canadian taxes. Yet not exactly comparable because the tax brackets differ ever so slighlty.

A close freind of mine was stunned when he got his first paycheck from a VERY low paying job when he first moved Canada. "I'm moving us all back to Alabama!"

Now 9 years later, he wouldn't consider ever moving back, despite his siblings being there.

He now makes about $19.00/he after 4 months with a large cartage & delivery company where he works in the warehouse sorting and loading trucks.

He has found he lives with much higher standards now, has a nice home, owns two cars etc. (His wife also has a good paying job)

He now says he could NEVER have had all this living in Alabama, perhaps due to a lack of opportunity more than taxation.

But even though, just liek every other Canadian, he bitches abou tax almost everytime it is added to a price, he finds it MUCH easier to achieve his goals here, he has moremoney and all three of his kids are covered by his medical plan provided at NO cost by his employer. His wife also has a similar plan at work, and they often decide who's plan to use to get the best deal. One has better eyewear coverage (extended medical)than the other.

So where he had NO options when he lived in the US, he finds this is a land of oportunity for him and he is happy paying a little at the till knowing it isn't already buried in the price.

kicks in at a lower amount. They can also deduct mortgage interest or at least they could up till a few years ago. I don't know if that's still true. Of course they still have all the hidden taxes like we do but their money is worth more than ours and seems to go further if you can avoid getting sick. Then hang on to your wallet because what they will do to you won't be pretty. In fact you would normally expect to be kissed at least.

Dawg

Canadian tax rates for Britsh Columbia are capped at 43.7 %

2005 Taxable Income Tax Rate

first $33,061 22.05%
over $33,061 up to $35,595 25.15%
over $35,595 up to $66,123 31.15%
over $66,123 up to $71,190 33.70%
over $71,190 up to $75,917 37.70%
over $75,917 up to $92,185 39.70%
over $92,185 up to $115,739 40.70%
over $115,739 over $113,804 43.70%


United States tax backets

First $7,300 10%
$7300 up to $29,699 15%
$29,700 up to $71,949 25%
$71,950 up to $150,149 28%
$150,150 up to $$326,450 33%
$326,450 up to -------- 35%


This is based on Single person tax rate and will also vary by state.

Also if you add in the TYPE of industry, rates will fluctuate again. There are simply too many personal variables for a fair comparisson.

But hey, I pay for the Province I live in and no matter how expensive it gets I can't justify moving somewhere less appealing to save a few percent. It's like having extra perks that come with paying taxes.

As for the dollar, I wouldn't rely on its value.
If I wanted to go THAT route, I could move to England and REALLY earn a dollar worth spending, but the cost of living is nearly the same even with the added value of of the GBPS.

I gave up on keeping US income IN the US a year and a half ago. I just get checks sent here now, in USD and pay the added tax up here.

As for my British income, it STAYS in GB, for obvious reasons.