Quebec Announces Plan for Tax on Unvaccinated

Quebec’s premier François Legault has announced a plan to tax those who refuse Covid-19 vaccinations without medical exemption.

• Quebec will be the first Canadian province to impose a financial penalty on the unvaccinated and the plan may signpost more rigid Covid policies in Canada to tackle the Omicron surge.
• Provinces across Canada are experiencing strains to health cares systems and the imposition of penalties may ease the stress on hospitals, but it will also spark debates about the government’s role in imposing vaccine take-up.
• Early signs suggest that the threat of the new policy is already delivering results - 107,000 doses of vaccine were administered yesterday. The tax will apply to all adults in Quebec who refuse to a receive a first vaccine within a to be determined timeframe.