(Queen’s Park) – As Canadians celebrate our nation’s 137th birthday tomorrow, the new Dalton McGuinty Health Tax will be officially inflicted on any and all people in Ontario earning over $20,000 per year. The Health Tax is part of the recent McGuinty Budget that has created over 50 ways to get into the wallets of Ontarians.

“This is a health tax, and not a ‘Health Premium’, as the McGuinty government likes to call it,” said Garfield Dunlop, Chief Opposition Whip and MPP for Simcoe North. “It’s a tax for the simple reason that you will see it reflected as a tax deduction from your gross pay amount on your pay stub, just like personal income tax.”

In 2004/05, the McGuinty government is expected to raise $1.6 billion on the backs of hard-working Ontarians through the new Health Tax, in spite of repeatedly promising during and after the election not to raise taxes.

“Like his federal cousin Paul Martin, Premier McGuinty has made health care promises, but right now, there is no tangible evidence whatsoever that people will actually get better health care in return for the extra money they are being forced to dole out,” said Dunlop.

“In fact, Ontarians are already paying more to get less health care services, thanks to the McGuinty government. Again as a result of Budget 2004, they now have to pay for eye exams. They now have to pay full price for their chiropractic visits. And, they now have to pay the entire cost of going to the physiotherapist,” he added.

Here are a few examples of how much the new Health Tax will cost Ontarians. Anyone who gets a pay stub showing taxable income of over $20,000 annually gets the tax increase:

Contacts:
Garfield Dunlop
(705) 327-4500 (cell)