> From: Andrew Fildes <afildes@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>
> ... Is there not a progressive taxation system there
> where those on minimum wage pay virtually no tax and the feelthy rich
> taking a bigger hit?
Not nearly as much as any other industrialized nation.
The "working poor" in the US, earning minimum wage, still pay taxes,
unless they have several dependents.
And the US has a "Social Security" tax which is outright regressive.
It applies to the first dollar you earn, and cuts out completely at
80 grand or so. It is supposed to go into a trust fund to pay
pensions, but the USless Congress raided that fund (basically, put in
"on the books") to make the budget deficit look better. "Look! We're
not nearly as deep in debt as you thought, once we count this money
we owe for future pensions as current income!"
In Canada, you don't pay any income tax until you've earned about US
$16,000, whereas you pay taxes down to the personal exemption amount
(about US$6,000) in the US. Also, if you're in business in Canada,
you don't have to deal with sales taxes until your gross revenues
reach about US$26,000, whereas in the US, your first dollar of gross
income is subject to state sales tax.
Also, if you're below the level of paying tax, your health care is
free in Canada -- not that C$56/month is much to pay in the normal case.
All these mean that subsistence farming in Canada quite practical,
while nearly impossible in the US.
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