Taxes are a part of our life, and will probably remain with us until we pass away. Of course, some are more noticeable than others, and some are quite simply much bigger than others… here are a few to think about.
The Income Tax
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the income tax, one of those fixtures in our lives. When we say we're getting paid 9 bucks an hour to flip burgers full-time, we're actually getting paid a fair bit lower than that. Did you know that the income tax was initially developed to fund Canada's involvement in the First World War? "Course, it seems only natural that when the war came to an end, the government decided that they could still use the extra coin to fund equally crucial programs, such as Federal-sponsored art programs and the construction and maintenance of 24 Sussex Drive. The Income Tax is not even taking into account the Payroll Tax, the Health and Prescription Insurance Tax, which also taxes our income, but is supposed to benefit we, the taxed, rather than the government"s funds.
Of course, there is always the risk that you might actually have some money left to spend, which is why the government sprung into action to bring about…
The Sales Tax
After taxing on the money we make, it only makes sense that they tax on the money we spend. The Sales Tax is probably one of the most frustrating taxes, for several reasons. First of all, in most stores the tax is never actually included with the retail price, which means that if money is tight you're usually left standing in front of a price tag, brow furrowed as you try to find the percentage of some obscure number, like $16.69. Second of all, the taxes aren't even consistent in all the provinces (with Alberta having the lowest, and P.E.I the highest,) because the provinces can levy their own sales tax along with the federal government. If you live on the border of Alberta and one of its neighboring provinces, you can expect a sales tax difference of between 5 and 7 percent.
And, of course, the third noticeable tax on the Canadian people;
The Inheritance Tax
This one is a particular kick in the pants. While, technically, we have no separate Inheritance Tax since the government of Brian Mulroney in the 1980s, inheritances are still treated with a capital gains tax, which means it would be taxed as if the money you inherited had instead come from, say, a house you sold.
So, let us summarize; the money we make is taxed for several different reasons in several different ways. The money we have left over is then taxed again if we buy even a one dollar chocolate bar. Finally, if we do manage to somehow build a small nest egg of money to give to our dependants when we pass away, our little cache of funds will be taxed once more when our hard-earned money passes into the hands of our children.
I'm not even counting the additional taxation placed upon products like alcohol, cigarettes, even air conditioner units for your vehicle, nor your property tax, and probably a few extra charges here and there that may be dependant on your lifestyle or job.
Which, of course, makes me ask; why is the road out in front of my house still covered in cracks? Why are Federal-sponsored school subsidiaries still falling? Where is all this money going?
