Thank you very much, Madam Chair.
I'd like to start by thanking all the witnesses for taking the time to be here today. I really appreciate it. I know that you're all very busy, especially given the pandemic.
My first question will be addressing primarily the CRA and perhaps the auditor and the CBSA as well, but primarily the CRA. The auditor's report highlights the fact that most Canadians are not self-reporting the HST and GST on digital purchases. I believe the number was 548. I want to meet those 548, first of all, because those might be the most honest Canadians we have.
It suggests that the digital giants should be the ones reporting and remitting on behalf of Canadians, as is done in many other places in the world. However, there appears to be an underlying belief or an assumption that it will be the digital giants that will be forced to pay this money and that Canadians will get their fair share from these digital giants. There's no evidence presented in the report or elsewhere that says this money will actually come from international corporations and not the pockets of Canadians.
Indeed, in 2018, the Prime Minister went so far as to say this:
The reality is that taxpayers will be the ones to pay those taxes. We, on this side of the House, [that's the Liberals, not us] promised not to raise taxes for taxpayers who are already paying enough for their digital subscriptions and Internet.
I'd like to raise this for both the auditor and the CRA. Do you agree or disagree with the statement from our Prime Minister?