I want to come back to that. I think everybody can see it's a dumb choice, but one of the arguments that were made by our colleagues opposite, including the one who will rebut me, is that it's an effective way to help those low-income Canadians who aren't necessarily helped by a lower marginal rate but who don't pay tax.
I asked the Library of Parliament for some information on this, and what I had back was the estimated savings from a 1% reduction in GST, from 6% to 5% . For the average single person making $20,000, it would be a savings of $52, and for the average Canadian making $100,000 or more, it would be $647. That's startling to anybody who figures out that the more you spend, the more you save. I would argue that not only is it a dumb move, it's also a mean move.
I wonder, Ms. Russell, if you have a comment on that.