1Chapter 8: Taxation and Social Programs
REQUIRED RESEARCH: TAXATION & SOCIAL PROGRAMS
Before you embark on your expedition, we need to make sure you
have all the background knowledge necessary for the mission to be
successful. When we reach our destiny, we will need to plan the
political, economic and social structures for the new colony, so
your understanding of this content is vital. For that reason, you
will be tested. Only the best recruits, who test successfully, will
be chosen for the expedition.
PERSONAL RESPONSE: WHAT ARE YOUR PERSONAL THOUGHTS?
1. To begin, independently list programs you think the new
government should provide (dental, career training, young
offenders, programs for reintegrating) Dental Career training
Health care Pension Young offenders rehabilitation Policing Army
Fire Department Rangers Jury/Legal system Road services Utilities
(power lines, gas, plumbing) Welfare
2. In a group of 3: Rank the top 3 programs that your group
feels are the most important for the new colony.1. Career
Planning2. Health care3. Legal system
1. Which programs are vitally important to quality of life? (How
happy you are with your life, based on how your needs are met:
Happiness, leisure time, health, social satisfaction.) Education
Health care/dental Utilities Legal system Rehabilitation for people
with additions and for offenders. Transportation Pension
2. Which are ineffective and can be discontinued? Welfare
Military Pension Rehabilitation
3. How would the new government fund these programs? Taxes (All
equal no matter how rich or poor you are) Sell important resources
on planet Fines for all crimes from speeding to higher crimes
4. How will we determine which ones are important and which ones
arent? What are we using? Our values (what we believe is right and
wrong)
VOCABULARY: DO YOU KNOW THE REQUIRED VOCABULARY?
Use your resources (textbook) to fill in the required
vocabulary. Black Market: Another term for underground economy
Goods & Services Tax (GST): A federal sales tax in Canada
Health Insurance:An agreement by a company to pay for your health
services, in exchange for a fee that you pay each month of each
year Income Tax: Tax based on percentage of a persons income
Median: A concept in statistics that means the middle number in a
set of data organized in order of least to most Private Health
Care: Health care paid for by individuals Profit: Money made from a
product or service above and beyond the cost of providing the
product or service Public Health Care: Health care paid for by
taxes Sales Tax: Tax paid at the time of buying a product or
service, and based on a percentage of the price of the product or
service Tax Base: All the economic activity in a society, which
government taxes to pay for services. Tax Evasion: Misrepresenting
what you earn to avoid paying taxes Taxation Model: Government
policies about taxation, such as what to tax (ex. Incomes,
purchases), how much to tax and how to spend taxes. Underground
Economy: Economic activity based on buying or selling products and
services illegally.
VALUES: WHAT VALUES DOES OUR CURRENT CANADIAN GOVT. HOLD?
Read the following excerpt entitled What are Values?
Values are beliefs about whats important for example, beliefs
about democracy, respect, accountability and peace. They influence
your opinions and help you make decisions about issues that affect
your quality of life.
Values are influenced by many factors such as family, school,
religion, media and life experiences. Your values can change over
time, because of new information and experiences. Societies, such
as Canada, are based on shared values that shape laws and things
like social programs.
List 3 things that you value the most. Free health care Leisure
time Life Expenses
List the 3 factors that have influenced your values. School
Media Life experiences
List 3 things that you think are valued by the government of
Canada. Free health Insurance Dental Care Safety
SOCIAL PROGRAMS: WHAT PROGRAMS DOES CANADA CURRENTLY HAVE?
(Issues for Canadians p. 271)
Social programs are services provided by government and paid for
by taxes. They aim to reduce economic inequalities in society and
promote the well being of all citizens.
Views differ on what programs might count as social programs.
The list can include health care, pensions for senior citizens,
income assistance, education, affordable housing, child protection
services, employment insurance, child-care, and other programs
administered or supported by government.
The decision by a government to provide, or not provide, social
programs comes from different economic philosophies and different
values. In Canada, governments generally support the idea of using
taxes to provide services to citizens. In the U.S., governments
support this idea less.
HEALTH CARE: WHAT IS CURRENTLY PROVIDED FOR CANADIANS?
(Issues for Canadians bottom of p. 271)
Canada has public health care. This means that public funds
taxes pay for it. The U.S. has private health care. This means
individual citizens cover the costs of their own medical needs. It
also means that health care is more like a business, where people
can offer health services to make a profit.
In the U.S., many people buy health insurance to cover the costs
of care. They pay money to a company on a regular basis, whether
they are sick or not. If they become sick, the insurance company
covers their medical costs. For many Americans, health insurance
like health care costs more than they can afford.
SUMMARY: FILL IN THE BLANKS
Canada has public health care which means that Public funds or
taxes pay for it.
The US has private health care which means that Individual
Citizens cover of their own medical needs.
As a result, most people in the US buy Health Insurance in order
to cover the cost of care. They have to make regular payments
whether they need assistance or not. For more many Americans,
health insurance costs more that they can afford.
WHAT ARE GOVT RESPONSIBILITIES & SOCIAL PROGRAMS IN CANADA?
(Issues for Canadians p. 274)
Different levels of government provide and fund social programs
in Canada. This is because, under Canadas constitution, the federal
and provincial governments have different responsibilities.
The provinces have responsibility for health care. This ensures
citizens in different provinces can have a role in shaping health
care to fit their unique views, perspectives and needs.
The federal government has responsibility for peace, order and
good government. It can pass laws, such as the Canada Health Act,
that affect the way provinces carry out their responsibilities.
FILL IN THE BLANKS
The federal and provincial governments have different
Responsibilities. For example, the provinces have responsibility
for Health Care The federal government has responsibility for
Peace, order and good government.Health care must be:Publicly
Administrated - run by government for no profitComprehensive
provided by all areas, including hospitals, physicians,
surgeonsUniversal - available for everyone. Portable available
everywhere in Canada no matter where you make your home in
Canada.Accessible - available within reasonable time and
Distance.
OVERVIEW OF SOCIAL PROGRAMS IN CANADA & THE USA (2007)
(Issues for Canadians p. 273)
C)SOCIAL PROGRAMS IN THE US (2007) (Issues for Canadians p.
275)
GOVERNMENT RESPONSIBILITIES IN THE USA: HOW IS IT DIFFERENT
?
Under the US Constitution, federal and state governments can
make laws regarding social programs. The constitution does not
identify particular federal or state responsibilities in this area
which is different than in Canada. In general, however, federal
laws determine principles regarding social programs.
SHOULD WE HAVE HEALTH CARE AS A SOCIAL PROGRAM: YES OR NO?
Read the 3 articles below. Choose the article that you agree
with the most. Give 3 reasons why you agree with that article.
ARTICLE #1
ARTICLE #2
ARTICLE #3
PERSONAL RESPONSE: SUPPORT YOUR POSITION
MY POSITION: The article I support the most.SUPPORTING
DETAILSDetailed reasons I support this position.
Article 1
Health care in the U.S is getting too expensive some people
cannot get medical attention. Its so expensive that some people get
their life savings wiped out because of their cost of their medical
bill. Wasteful lawsuits are unreasonable, they are taking doctors
jobs away.
WHATS THE CONNECTION BETWEN TAXATION & SOCIAL PROGRAMS?
(Issues for Canadians p. 281)
Within Canada, both the federal and provincial governments
collect taxes. The federal government transfers some of the taxes
to the provinces to use for social services. Citizens pay 2 kinds
of taxes: Income tax and Sales tax. As grade 9 students, you will
most likely not have to pay income tax because you do not earn
enough income, but you will be paying GST in the form of the
____________. In Canada, the average family earned $67 000 a year
and had to pay 17% or $11 000 in taxes.
HOW DOES NOT PAYING TAXES AFFECT SOCIAL PROGRAMS & QUALITY
OF LIFE? (Issues for Canadians p. 283)
THE ISSUE OF TAX EVASION
Tax evasion means to avoid paying the taxes you owe.
In all countries, including Canada, its against the law to avoid
paying taxes. Canadians must report what they earn, so government
can determine and collect the tax they owe.
The economic activity that governments tax is called the tax
base. The tax base pays for the services provided by government,
such as social programs.
Tax evasion involves not reporting your economic activity, so
government cannot collect the tax you owe.
People who work without paying taxes are part of the underground
economy underground because it functions in secret from the
government. The underground economy is also called the black
market.
PERSONAL RESPONSE QUESTIONS:
How can tax evasion affect programs and quality of life? Tax
evasion can affect programs and the quality of life because it will
effect the people who do pay their taxes. The facilities will not
be as great if not everyone contributes to the payment of new
facilities to use.
What should be done to those individuals who evade paying taxes?
I think that these individuals who do not pay their taxes should
not be allowed to use the facilities (hospitals, schools, and
getting a job) until they pay their taxes.
RESEARCHING POLITICAL PARTIES(Issues for Canadians p. 287)
POLITICAL PLATFORMS
A political platform describes the official policies of a
political party. It reflects a variety of issues, including those
linked to social programs and taxation models.
Political parties create platforms to reflect the values of
their members. Parties also consult constituents in electoral
ridings to learn more about issues that concern voters.
Parties add and remove policies as issues become more or less
important to their members and to voters. Issues can change in
response to local, national and world events.
A provincial election has been called. Research the political
platforms of the following five major parties in Alberta.
PARTYPLATFORM Progressive Conservative PartyLiberal PartyWild
Rose Alliance PartyNew Democratic PartyAlberta Party
EDUCATION
HEALTH CARE
TAXATION
ENVIRONMENT
CRIME
SENIOR CITIZENS
CHILD CARE
YOUR POLITICAL STANCE:
Choose which political party you agree with the most and EXPLAIN
why. You can choose ideas from the chart on page 288 or on page 10
of this document.
THE CONNECTION BETWEEN VALUES, POLICIES AND THE ECONOMIC
CONTINUUM (Issues for Canadians p. 288)
Economic policies come from values and form part of the
platforms of political parties. The policies within platforms
indicate where parties fit on the economic continuum. The following
are examples of party platforms.
Here is where these three parties fit on the economic
continuum.
RESEARCHING U.S. POLITCAL PARTIES
Research the platforms and policies of the Democratic and
Republican parties.
PARTYPLATFORM DEMOCRATIC PARTY REPUBLICAN PARTY
EDUCATION
HEALTH CARE
TAXATION
ENVIRONMENT
CRIMINAL JUSTICE
DEFENSE
SOCIAL PROGRAMS
COMPARING POLITICAL PARTIES
Connect the 2 main parties in the USA to one of the Canadian
parties with the most similar values and platform. Explain why you
choose that party.
Democratic PartyCanadian Party:
Explanation:
Republican PartyCanadian Party:
Explanation:
CASE STUDY: TOMMY DOUGLAS- THE FATHER OF PUBLIC HEALTH CARE
(Issues for Canadians p. 291)
What did Tommy Douglas accomplish? He accomplished to build the
health care system which was paid by everyone using their tax
dollars.
How might the choice of Douglas as a great Canadian reflect
Canadian values and identity?