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Extended benefits, drugs, dental, optical, etc.
kimmy:
I pay out of pocket for optical care, for dental care, and for prescription drugs.
I can only start claiming tax deductions for these expenses once they cross an absurdly high threshold-- 3% of my income, if I recall.
For people with extended benefits-- for example Members of Parliament, government workers, and the like-- their medical and dental benefits are tax-exempt.
Where's the fairness in that?
-k
JMT:
I think the fairness went out the window when the Liberals realized that taxing said benefits would be political suicide. It would have been (was) a good idea, and it should still happen. It won't happen for a while now though.
cybercoma:
It's insane to me that we celebrate our healthcare system, yet don't have universal payer for vision, dental, and prescription drugs. We need to work towards covering those things as well.
JMT:
--- Quote from: cybercoma on June 28, 2017, 11:15:09 am ---It's insane to me that we celebrate our healthcare system, yet don't have universal payer for vision, dental, and prescription drugs. We need to work towards covering those things as well.
--- End quote ---
Agreed completely. Health should never be a private sector matter.
msj:
Agreed.
I pay MSP premiums for my staff and that is a taxable benefit: included as taxable income on their T4 for income taxes and CPP purposes.
Also pay into a health service trust for them and is that taxable?
Nope, non-taxable benefit.
I get a tax deduction while they/I partipate in the plan and pay no income tax on it.
In my healthy years I use my health trust to pay for registered massage therapy for "stress relief."
Sometimes the wife and I go to Scandinave spa in Whistler and buy the RMT treatment and then use the pools/sauna/steam room for a few hours. All for "free" (well, in my case, as a tax deduction since I am paying into the plan).
So, yes, this is nauseating and is a violation of the horizontal equity principle: http://www.investopedia.com/terms/h/horizontalequity.asp
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