Thank you, Mr. Chair.
The motion is very clear:
That the Finance Committee devote one session to examining the methods used by the Canada Revenue Agency to calculate the taxable income of tip employees in Quebec.
Following numerous representations, it was concluded that there are 20,000 tip workers in Quebec. Contrary to what happens in the other provinces, a solution has been developed that is unique to Quebec. In the past few years, tip workers in Quebec from the restaurant and hotel industries in particular have begun to be harassed. They are asked, from a more or less representative sample... CRA officials went to some restaurants and reviewed credit card records. They found that tipping varied between 14% and 20%.
They wanted to apply a calculation to all the workers in these restaurants. For example, in a Pacini restaurant in Val-d'Or, it was found, from checking the credit cards, that people paid an average tip of 16%. Tip workers in that restaurant are going to have to declare 16% of the restaurant's total revenue as their income. It is well known, though, that people leave bigger tips when they pay by credit card. This is really not the best way to proceed. The Government of Quebec had already agreed that 8% was a reasonable average. But now that percentage is being exceeded. Workers are being harassed. Even the Minister of Revenue agreed that this was an unfair way of doing things.
This is really prejudicial to these people. They also have to pay the bills of people who leave without paying, breakage, meals dropped on the ground, etc. Their situation is tough. We think that hearing these workers' representatives might give us a better idea of their situation, which is special in Quebec and which to me seems inequitable and unfair.