Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you to the witnesses for coming today. I really appreciate it.
To try to summarize a lot of your comments, there is a lot of passion and emotion about the proposed tax changes, and I really want to highlight the word “proposed” and put an emphasis on the ongoing consultation. I think we're missing something, which is that, in my humble opinion, this is how democracy in policy works best: something was proposed and now we're getting feedback from Canadians across this country on how we can change it.
Ron and Scott, thank you so much for comments on really making sure that there are no unintended consequences and that there are appropriate transitional rules. We don't want to put any businesses in a position where.... These things happen so quickly—and I do want to highlight the fact that the tax changes are going forward and are not retroactive—but you don't want any unintended consequences, because people do work really hard, especially on the family farm.
Mr. Milligan, I really appreciated your comment that it should be neutral in terms of your decision-making. Why should somebody benefit from a lower tax percentage when they incorporate for the sole benefit of having that lower tax threshold? Can you comment on that and why that's not fair for all Canadians?
I will give you an example. I used to be a corporate lawyer for a big firm on Bay Street, and partners were able to take advantage of incorporation, whereas a seven-, eight-, nine-, or ten-year associate was still a salaried employee.