Evidence of meeting #22 for Status of Women in the 39th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was policy.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Bloc
Nicole Demers Bloc Laval, QC
These people were already getting the GST/HST credit. This changes nothing for them.
General Director, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister's Office, Tax Policy Branch, Department of Finance
But they do pay the GST.
Nicole Demers Bloc Laval, QC
However, it does make a big difference to high-income earners, because they benefit much more from the GST reduction. If I buy a car for $30,000, I will save more in GST than someone who buys a bus pass.
General Director, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister's Office, Tax Policy Branch, Department of Finance
Yes, but—
NDP
Irene Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON
Thank you, Madam Chair.
In October 2007 the Minister of Finance released an economic statement that had numerous tax cuts. We've heard in the committee that tax cuts affect women differently from men because men have higher incomes and women aren't as able to take advantage of the tax deductions. Interestingly, in that 2007 economic statement, women weren't even mentioned. The word didn't come up.
I wonder whether there was a gender-based analysis of that economic statement.
General Director, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister's Office, Tax Policy Branch, Department of Finance
Definitely a gender-based analysis was conducted. In any measures that go forward to the minister now in the Department of Finance, a gender-based analysis is conducted.
I'll make a general point on the overall reductions that this government has put forward on the tax side. Some 75% of the reductions in tax have gone to those in the bottom two tax brackets. Generally speaking, because women tend to have lower incomes, the benefit has gone proportionally more to women in the reductions that they've put forward. But again, we can provide you with the analysis that was conducted for the October statement.
NDP
Irene Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON
Okay, thank you.
Are there any measures in the 2008 budget that specifically targeted women—
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Yasmin Ratansi
Ms. Mathyssen, could I interrupt for a second?
Could you give us some concrete examples of it— I'm not taking your time—because you're making statements and people are thinking, well, what does that mean? So whenever you say that 75% has gone to the lower two tax brackets, could you please give us some analysis?
General Director, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister's Office, Tax Policy Branch, Department of Finance
Absolutely.
NDP
Irene Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON
Thank you, and I appreciate that intervention, Madam Chair.
I'm at the 2008 budget now. I wonder whether there is anything there that specifically targeted women. In our analysis of the budget, women were mentioned six times and corporations were mentioned 119 times, and it seemed rather disproportionate.
General Director, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister's Office, Tax Policy Branch, Department of Finance
The whole budget, the 2008 entire budget?
General Director, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister's Office, Tax Policy Branch, Department of Finance
I don't have the information on the entire budget. My role as the gender-based analysis champion is to ensure that analysis is conducted and provided to the minister. I ensure that training is undertaken. I ensure that examples are there, the tools are there. I don't analyze the entire budget from a gender perspective.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Yasmin Ratansi
I will interject for one second, because Madam Levonian is a gender-based champion, and if we need to speak to the Department of Finance we will do that. Fair enough?
NDP
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Yasmin Ratansi
Thank you, because I think we should keep our questions to them and in a different light.
General Director, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister's Office, Tax Policy Branch, Department of Finance
May I answer your question on the...?
General Director, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister's Office, Tax Policy Branch, Department of Finance
This is the economic statement that was tabled on October 30, 2007. There's a chart that shows how the tax reductions are distributed across income groups. It's on page 85.
NDP
Irene Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON
Thank you.
The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, in their 2008 alternative budget, included gender analysis in each chapter of the budget. We've heard from other economists, for example, Professor Ellen Russell from Carleton, about adding information to the budget in terms of the impact of tax measures on men and women. We also heard from Debbie Budlender about integrating tables and data into the budget...[Inaudible--Editor]...disaggregated data would be helpful. I wonder whether the department would be prepared to include that chapter-by-chapter analysis in regard to the budget statement.
General Director, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister's Office, Tax Policy Branch, Department of Finance
Chair, that's not a question, again, that I as the gender-based champion can answer. In not all respects do we have the information, as you can see from our 2006 and 2007 analysis from a gender-based perspective. In some areas we would have the information, in others we wouldn't. And that's what, from an information perspective, I can provide. We have some information, and others we don't. In some cases it would be impossible to provide the information, but in some cases we could. But it's not something that I could address.