WINNIPEG – First, it was football. Now it’s the wallet.
“Saskatchewan is definitely better off than we are,” said Sylvio Vincent, a Winnipegger who is tired of paying high taxes. “You’ve got to cut down in other places to…. make sure that we have enough to get around.”
A new Statistics Canada income survey shows the median family income in Manitoba in 2012 after taxes was $68,100.
Almost $10,000 behind what they take home in Saskatchewan, $77,300.
Despite the nearly $10,000 income gap, Manitobans pay almost the same amount in income taxes, just $900 per year less.
“Taxes are a lot lower in Saskatchewan and that’s why Manitoba needs to bring its taxes down to be more competitive,” said Colin Craig of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.
And economists say that it’s more than just higher taxes in Manitoba that is causing the discrepancy.
“Manitoba has a larger proportion of lower income individuals and Saskatchewan has a larger proportion of people who are making good salaries in the petroleum related industries,” said University of Winnipeg economics professor Philippe Cyrene.
Global News tried to contact finance minister Greg Dewer but he was out of the province. His office sent a statement saying: ‘Manitobans pay the lowest bundle of hydro, home heating and auto insurance rates in the country’ which is about $2,000 less than the Canadian average.
“The government has to understand as long as they charge people with high taxes while others are charging lower, then people are going to go where the taxes are lower,” said Craig.
“That’s one thing we need… lower taxes,” said Vincent.
And a Grey Cup would be nice too
- Canadian man dies during Texas Ironman event. His widow wants answers as to why
- On the ‘frontline’: Toronto-area residents hiring security firms to fight auto theft
- Honda’s $15B Ontario EV plant marks ‘historic day,’ Trudeau says
- Canadians more likely to eat food past best-before date. What are the risks?
Comments