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The voice of Delta since 1922
FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2018
Distracted drivers — you’ve been warned! SUBMITTED PHOTO
The Delta Police Department has posted these signs along 56th Street in Tsawwassen as a reminder to motorists about the dangers of distracted driving. Police will be paying extra attention to distracted drivers during March, which has been proclaimed Distracted Driving Awareness Month in B.C. See more on Page 4. Also, Delta police are paying close attention to 56th Street as part of the department’s Vision Zero campaign to eliminate traffic fatalities. See more on Page 11.
Payroll tax comes with big hit
City hall, school district and businesses all on the hook SANDOR GYARMATI
s g y a r m a t i @ d e l t a - o p t i m i s t .c o m
Local governments and businesses, and likely taxpayers, face an impact under the provincial government’s new health care payroll tax. The recent provincial budget announced the elimination of Medical Services Plan premiums by 2020 to be replaced by a payroll health tax. The change will be phased in with MSP premi-
ums being cut by 50 per cent in 2019 and eliminated entirely the following year. The tax begins in full next year, requiring employers with payrolls over $500,000 a year to pay a 0.98 per cent tax annually. The tax goes up in increments with large employers hit the hardest as they will pay a 1.95 per cent tax on payrolls over $1.5 million. For employers who currently don’t pay their employees’ MSP
premiums, it will be a particularly big wallop, but even those who do will find themselves paying more with the new tax. It’s a charge that will particularly sting hardest next year when they’re still paying part of their employees MSP premiums as well. Angela Buhler, manager of the City of Delta’s financial services, said Delta’s estimated gross payroll is $100 million, thus the tax would be $1.95 million. GREENHOUSE: see Page 3
FILE PHOTO
The City of Delta is facing an annual cost of about $850,000 as a result of the new health care payroll tax.
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