Quebec to Impose Health Tax on The Unvaccinated
The Canadian province of Quebec will impose a health tax on residents not vaccinated against COVID. The province is experiencing a surge in cases, and its 12 028 deaths as of Tuesday are the highest in Canada.
The province’s Premier Francois Legault announced on Tuesday that it would be the first in the nation to financially penalise the unvaccinated.
Around 12.8% of Quebec residents are unvaccinated, yet make up nearly half of all hospital cases.
At a news conference, the premier said that people who have not had a first vaccine dose will have to pay a “contribution”, which will be “significant”.
“I think right now it’s a question of fairness for the 90% of the population who made some sacrifices,” Mr Legault said. “I think we owe them this kind of measure.”
The province also announced last week that proof of vaccination would be required to shop in government cannabis and liquor stores.
Death rates are similar to January 2021, before widespread vaccinations had begun in the province. Unvaccinated patients make up 45% of COVID ICU cases.
Hospitals in Montreal, the province’s largest city, are nearing 100% capacity and have already started limiting non-Covid related care. Quebec’s positivity rate stands at 20%.
Though such approaches are rare, some unvaccinated individuals in other parts of the world face penalties from their governments.
Greece is set to require those over 60 to pay a €100 (R1750) fine for each month that they remain unvaccinated. Austria is considering an even stiffer €7200 (R126 000) fine for unvaccinated individuals. Unvaccinated COVID patients in Singapore will also have to pay their own medical bills: with ICU stays, this has been estimated at a median of S$25 000 (R287 500).
Source: BBC News
