The Municipality of North Cowichan in 2018 paid out $111,431 in medical services premiums. Your minority NDP government in Victoria is eliminating MSP premiums effective January 1, 2020.
Effective January 1st of 2019, a new health employer tax came into effect, compliments of your premier John Horgan to compensate for lost premiums from MSP billings, but at the same time, MSP premiums still have to be paid at 50 per cent of the 2018 premiums until the end of December 31st, 2019.
In 2019, North Cowichan will still have to pay $55,671 in MSP premiums as well as the new employer health tax. The new employer health tax is 1.95 per cent times the total payroll for the year. Total payroll in 2018, for North Cowichan was $15,541,773 and 1.95 per cent equals $303,064 that has to be paid to the Horgan government.
Only a 171.9 per cent increase from 2018. This is called John Horgan math.
In summary, in 2018 North Cowichan paid out $111,341 in MSP premiums and in 2019 will pay out a total of $358,780. Ever wonder why you have to pay more in property taxes each year?
Horgan eliminates MSP premiums and in reality transfers the premiums into your property taxes. Premier Horgan says that with the elimination of MSP premiums, employer costs will now be lower. How so? North Cowichan will now pay $191,633 more than before.
Very sad state of affairs for B.C. taxpayers that they have a lame duck premier. There was no need for this new employer health tax. What Horgan should have done was to retain the MSP billing as is and just lower the income tax rates. Very simple economics.
Politics in B.C. is just a show of comedy for the other nine provinces. They all laugh at us. Why? B.C. always seems to let the NDP have another chance at government when the other nine provinces, say never again.
Joe Sawchuk,
Duncan