Well Susan, on top of income taxes (ranging from approx 35% for average citizens to 0% for the extremely wealthy) and property taxes (which fluctuate depending on where you live), in Canada we also pay 8% GST (Goods and Services Tax) on everything we buy. Plus, most of the provinces (except Alberta, if memory serves) have their own PST (provincial sales tax). Here in Ontario, the PST and GST add up to an extra 15% on all purchases - except books and most groceries.

Yes, most health care is free in Canada but please don't get overly excited about it. People can spend days waiting to see a doctor around here. In fact, newcomers to Canada looking for a family doctor often resort to facing long line-ups in emergency wards and after-hours clinics instead. Also, unless you have additional health insurance prescriptions and other medical needs as well as certain hospitalization costs are your own responsibility.

I was watching a report about this on the local news the other night. The shortage of family doctors in my area is growing more serious every year, and what are they blaming it on? Apparently it's because over 50% of all medical school graduates in Canada are now ... you guessed it... WOMEN!

Darn those women eh - insisting on reasonably "human" hours at work and cutting down on patient loads so that they can give their families the attention a healthy family requires!   ;-)

daylia