Toronto, ON: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is calling on Ontario Premier Doug Ford to scrap the province’s health tax ahead of the 2024 tax year.

“Politicians of all stripes love to boast that Ontarians simply have to take out their health cards, and not their credit cards, to see their doctor or access emergency services,” said CTF Ontario Director Jay Goldberg. “But the truth is that any Ontario taxpayer earning more than $20,000 is on the hook for paying Ontario’s health tax.”

The Ontario Health Premium is a surcharge charged on top of Ontarians’ income taxes. It’s a sneaky tax because it’s taken right off taxpayers’ paycheques along with income taxes, so many taxpayers don’t even realize they’re paying a health tax. The first installment of next year’s health tax will be charged on taxpayers’ first 2024 paycheque. 

The Ontario Health Premium was first introduced by former premier Dalton McGuinty. Premiums range from $300 to $900 a year depending on income.

“No other provincial government charges this kind of health tax on taxpayers,” Goldberg said. “Ontario spends $8 billion a year on health care costs that doesn’t actually go to frontline services. If the Ford government cut the bureaucracy, Ontario could scrap the tax without increasing the budget deficit.”  

The Ford government expects to rake in $4.8 billion this year from the province’s health tax.

Ontario Health Tax Examples