Fall Economic Statement Implementation Act, 2023  These are some headlines that came out in newspapers across the country following the dropping of the budget: “Liberal hike to job-killing capital gains tax is inexcusable”; “Capital gains tax change draws ire from some Canadian entrepreneurs worried it will worsen the brain drain”; “David Dodge wasn't wrong, this federal budget is 'one of the worst in decades'”.

Canada Business Corporations Act  In committee we looked at the issue of who really profited from the Isle of Man trusts created by KPMG for Canadian tax cheats. We worked for a long time on that issue. In the United States, when the same thing was done, there were investigations, criminal prosecutions and even jail time. The IRS, the Canada Revenue Agency counterpart, put a stop to it.

Information & Ethics committee  Conacher is 100% correct when he says the U.S. system has different and more stringent disclosure laws. Their lobbying system is run by the IRS. They have a different set of resources from the lobbying commissioner, who I think has 30 employees. I can't remember exactly what it is. Part of the reason why there is public disclosure in the United States is that the IRS gets their tax returns and they can tell what they're spending money on.

Finance committee  I welcome the measures in Bill C‑32. Solicitor-client privilege is obviously very important, but so is the fight against tax evasion and tax avoidance. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Finance committee  While budget 2022 did not respond favourably to Wine Growers Canada's request, the budget reported $390 million in forecasted federal excise revenue over the next five years as a result of the repeal of the excise exemption, with $135 million of that for year one and two, or $34 million more than was provided in budget 2021. Excise duty on Canadian wine is not a consumer tax but a production tax, because we cannot pass it on to the consumers. This is because imported wines represent over 70% of Canada's domestic wine sales market, forcing Canadian wines to be price-takers in our home market.

Canada Infrastructure Bank Act  The bank's privatization agenda has been a key part of the problem. There was a consistent feature of testimony at committee from witnesses, including Canadians for Tax Fairness, the Canadian Union of Public Employees and the Council of Canadians, that public-private partnerships, particularly ones that include private operators collecting revenues through user fees, inherently raised questions about which projects are selected.

Information & Ethics committee  Today should have been the last day of witness testimony of our study into the $912 million in taxpayer money that would have been given to the Kielburger group. This study began eight months ago. It has been subject to an unprecedented level, I would say, of interference and interruption.

Questions on the Order Paper  Internal Revenue Service, IRS. Information regarding “U.S. persons” can be found under article 1(ee) of the IGA: https://www.fin.gc.ca/treaties-conventions/pdf/FATCA-eng.pdf. In response to part (a), the approximate numbers of records sent to the IRS under the IGA for the years in question are as follows: 600,000 in 2017, for 2016 tax year; 700,000 in 2018, for 2017 tax year; 900,000 in 2019, for 2018 tax year.

Foreign Lobbyist Transparency Act  I would invite members, including Liberal and NDP members, to watch Wendy Mesley's interview with Vivian Krause. Because in the U.S. there is disclosure of tax records, of foundation reports to the IRS, of unions' disclosures of money spent on the legislative process, she is able to analyze U.S. documentation to track the spending of money in Canada.

Finance committee  Defective cultures always result in operational bottlenecks. These bottlenecks are magnified by a tax system that is far too complicated for the average CRA agent or taxpayer to navigate, which is further magnified by a lack of or inadequate professional training, in our opinion. Next, instead of taking steps toward modernizing our tax system to make it more transparent, competitive and easy to comply with and administer, Bill C-97 is a continuation by our government of using taxation to pick winners with tax breaks in various economic areas and industries.

Federal Sustainable Development Act  There was nothing about economic sustainability, being able to afford the things we paid for. There was nothing about reducing the tax burden on Canadians. Therefore, it is a real pleasure to talk about the Federal Sustainable Development Act and the amendments that have been proposed. When we actually compare the provisions of the act and what the act requires against the performance of the Liberal government, we will find that this tax-and-spend Liberal government has been found wanting.

Budget Implementation Act, 2018, No. 1  During the last election campaign, the Liberals promised to abolish omnibus bills because they are undemocratic, yet they chose to restrict the length of debate on this substantial bill at the finance committee. This is not democracy and it is a far cry from the sunny ways promised to Canadians in 2015. We can do better. We are here to do better. Canadians demand better. Do not let the Liberals tell us it cannot be done.

Information & Ethics committee  These information-sharing agreements are very important because they allow us to better combat tax evasion and tax avoidance. Canadians are telling us that they want us to crack down on tax evasion and tax avoidance, and the government is committed to do so, as I mentioned earlier this week.

Information & Ethics committee  This happens in two steps. First the Income Tax Act sets out requirements for Canadian financial institutions to report information with respect to those accounts to the CRA. In turn, the CRA shares this information with the IRS. The IGA is reciprocal in that the CRA also receives information from the IRS.

Finance committee  The Conservative government claims that the government will not use this information to help the IRS go after U.S. taxes on Canadian assets and Canadian income earned by Canadians. However, the government is introducing a $100 penalty for Canadians who don't provide their U.S. tax identification number to the CRA, but the CRA has no use for a U.S. tax identification number, except to pass that number over to the U.S. government under the IGA.