I'll start with a quick correction.
It has been said that small businesses have a lower tax rate on their passive income. In fact, they pay a higher tax rate on their passive income under the present rules.
Moving on to Ms. O'Connell's remarks, she was commenting on this inequality that she sees in retired business owners sharing their income with their spouses, as though they are the only ones who are able to do that. We have something called pension splitting in this country. For small business owners, with the income, the dividends they take out of the business that they have built throughout their lives, that is their pension.
We public servants all get a public pension, and we are allowed to split that pension. The Prime Minister will be able to split his government pension with his spouse for the express and sole purpose of lowering his tax burden.
Do you think that's fair?