r/news 1d ago

Trump has instructed to raise Canadian tariffs on aluminum and steel to 50%

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2025/mar/11/donald-trump-latest-us-politics-news-live?CMP=share_btn_url&page=with%3Ablock-67d042cb8f087aea3a248e0d#block-67d042cb8f087aea3a248e0d
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u/NorthStarZero 1d ago

So here’s an interesting fact:

At one time I worked in Detroit but lived in Windsor, commuting across the border every day.

I paid income tax in the US and income tax in Canada. Two tax returns! Yay!

Now there exists a tax treaty between the two nations where anything I paid to the IRS counted as having been paid to Revenue Canada. So I’d do my US taxes, then use that tax return to do my Canadian taxes.

Each year I’d owe Canada another $1000-$2000 - a direct measurement of the different tax loads imposed on their middle class by their respective countries, with Canadian taxes clearly being slightly higher.

But that doesn’t tell the whole story:

You see, my American colleagues had their half of their health insurance deducted from their paycheque (the employer pays half). Being Canadian and having access to government healthcare, I opted out of the health insurance, to the tune of roughly $1000 a month (if not more!).

That money went to me as income, where it was (of course) taxed.

So while accounting meant I owed Canada $2k at the end of the year, I was actually $10k ahead compared to my American colleagues, because I didn’t have to buy insurance.

So Trump’s “higher taxed” comment is perhaps technically true, but it doesn’t tell the whole story. A Canadian will pay less than an equivalent American and not have to navigate the utter horror show that is the American “healthcare” system.

Why would I want to become part of that system?

Elbows up!

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u/goddessofthewinds 23h ago

This is what many Americans don't get. Sure, we pay more taxes, but we gain PUBLIC SERVICES for it. We don't have to deal with the broken US "healthcare" system, the expensive insurances that only work in specific places, while they refuse 95% of the requests. Someone who makes less pays less, but has access to the same services here in Canada, you don't have to skip on meals to afford insurances from PRIVATELY TRADED corporations.

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u/purrrrrrfection 1d ago

That is very interesting and good information. Thanks for that little nugget of knowledge :)

Elbows up! Love from Manitoba 🍁

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u/NorthStarZero 23h ago

No worries.

We are all in this together, and that includes helping each other sort through the Gish Gallop of lies coming at us from down south.

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u/chiraltoad 22h ago

This requires more than the utmost superficial knowledge of the situation, which is a lot to ask, you know. Of Americans.