Mr. Speaker, it is high time that Canada had an integrated federal-provincial value-added sales tax. The current system is a huge burden on the government and on business and is very unfair to consumers.
I applaud the finance minister's plan to create an integrated national sales tax that would have a lower operational cost, a lower rate in most provinces and would still exclude items such as basic groceries, prescription drugs and medical services.
Canadians want to end political pettiness between the various levels of government. They want an end to duplication and they especially want an end to the GST.
The federal government's proposal reflects extensive discussions held with the provinces over the summer. Given the state of finances at all levels of government and the ever diminishing consumer purchasing power, I call on the provinces to quickly adopt the federal government's proposal.
Canadians want to see an integrated national sales tax, not just hear about it.