Yes, there are some extra prices to pay in Ontario, including a new progressive health care tax, the Ontario Health Premium, levied on individuals beginning on July 1, 2004. But "Ontario has seen a dramatic reduction in personal income tax over the past 10 years," points out Wassmansdorf. He says that while nobody likes to see a tax increase, the targeted health tax is a direct result of Canadians saying the condition of their health system is their number one priority.
      "Among the complaints I hear from American executives is healthcare costs going up by double digits and making them uncompetitive," says Cordiano. "That's a problem for them, and an advantage for us. We're making a major investment in Ontario to get back to the top. Everything we do is targeted. In looking at classroom size, we're not just spending money and throwing it at the system, we're changing the system so they get the proper instruction. In healthcare, we're ensuring that the money we spend goes toward shortening waiting times, more cardiac and hip replacement surgeries. We look for a return for that investment dollar, whether in social services or in skills upgrades or R&D. We're going to measure that return, and we're going to report it to the people."
      A bump up in depreciation schedules for equipment purchases figures to help investing companies to a measurable advantage, and is just part of a solid fiscal and regulatory environment in Ontario that contributes substantially to a company's degree of certainty.
      "Depreciation is an example of a general positive trend in the tax environment, both personal and corporate," says Wassmansdorf. "The federal situation is awesome, and most people don't realize how good it is. Most G7 countries have a rising debt and debt-to-GDP ratios, and growing deficits, and Canada at the federal level is the exact opposite, with seven consecutive years of surplus. So one of the things that means for Ontario and the other provinces is there is a fiscal rebalancing that is being renegotiated now, as the provinces and municipalities look for the federal government to rebalance the tax revenues and even out the benefit across all levels."