Finance committee  Yes. I used to work in the international development field, so I would agree with that.

Finance committee  I think that is a good question to investigate. I don't know what the impact would be. Low-income people do give a larger portion of their income than higher income people, and a large percentage of low-income people who give donations don't claim tax credits, so there is a problem there that needs to be addressed and fixed.

Finance committee  This is something that needs more debate, even amongst people on my board. But it is a real problem for government to be backing out of areas that they have traditionally assumed responsibility for.

Finance committee  It's true that they can often see needs that exist in a community, especially if they're locally based. Their role as being complementary to government is valuable and important. But it's problematic when you expect charities to take the place of...or to pick up the gaps, because many charities just don't have the capacity.

Finance committee  Could you repeat that?

Finance committee  As I said, it's one of the most valuable roles that charities can play. Unfortunately, a very small percentage actually do play this role or take it seriously. One report I read said it was 1%. It may be a little higher than that, but it's a very small number who do this. It's their ability to see what's happening on the ground, their engagement in local communities right across the country, and their ability to represent the knowledge and experience of those least able to speak out, the least likely people the government is going to hear from.

Finance committee  Quebec doesn't differentiate between donations below and above $200, and it gives a straight 20% credit regardless of the amount of the donation. In our view, this would be preferable to the current system in the rest of Canada that only allocates 15% for donations under $200. This effectively means that the government increases the amount it gives to those who are rich and able to give more, and goes against the interests of low-income donors.

Finance committee  —we would not oppose changes to tax incentives to charities if these incentives do not cost too much or don't give greater benefit to high-income taxpayers. Therefore, the stretch proposal is not as problematic from our point of view.... However, eliminating capital gains on private company shares, land, and real estate is something that we oppose strongly and would argue against.

Finance committee  Thank you for the opportunity to appear before this committee. I am representing Canadians for Tax Fairness. We're a new organization that is just one year old. We have begun a campaign for fair taxation. We support a tax system, based on the ability to pay, that will fund the comprehensive, high-quality public services and programs that are required to meet our social, economic, and environmental needs in the current century.