With talk of MSP premiums swirling, specifically with the B.C. government saying many go unpaid, some people on the other side of the debate are speaking out.
Andrew Weaver, Leader of the B.C. Green Party and MLA for Oak Bay-Gordon Head, tabled a 65,721 signature petition in the legislature on Thursday calling for the government to change MSP (Medical Services Plan) premiums to suit incomes, rather than being one-size-fits-all.
This comes the same day that a B.C. taxpayer watchdog said the province is waiting on millions of dollars in overdue MSP account payments.
“It is clear that too many British Columbians are struggling with the fixed and increasing cost of MSP Premiums in this province. It is a regressive fee that is hurting those who can least afford it,” said Weaver.
The petition was created in December by small business owner Michelle Coulter from Ucluelet, B.C. and has garnered support province-wide.
“Right now whether you make $30,000 or $3,000,000 annually in you are paying $900 a year,” said Weaver. “In Ontario, only the top earners making more than $200,600 are paying this rate.”
The B.C. Green Party has proposed the start of a progressive system, where rates would be determined by each person’s earnings, like in Ontario.
“The B.C. Government takes almost as much revenue from MSP Premiums as it does from corporate income tax,” said Weaver. “It’s time we followed the path Ontario has taken and rolled the MSP Premiums into our income tax system.”
In 2004, the Ontario government introduced the Ontario Health Premium (OHP) as part of their income tax system, applying to anyone earning more than $20,000 annually.
You don’t pay anything if your taxable income is $20,000 or less, and it goes up to a maximum of $900 per year if your taxable income is more than $200,600.
The OHP is automatically deducted from the pay and pensions of residents.
“The government’s recently announced change for single parent families is a step in the right direction but doesn’t go far enough to help numerous British Columbians who cannot afford the increases,” said Weaver. “If the government is serious about easing the burden it is placing on low and fixed income British Columbians, then they need to properly fix the way MSP premiums are collected.”
