Madam Speaker, I would like to respond to the hon. member for Broadview-Greenwood on the GST replacement and the work in the finance committee.
Although the intentions are honourable, we will really end up at the end of the day with a new tax that replaces an old tax. They will still try to collect $15 billion out of the pockets of taxpayers. They say that is a solution. We can simplify it and make it less expensive to collect but nevertheless it is still a tax. It is a band-aid approach to the problem. The real solution to the problem is an entire review of the tax system so that we do not have to worry about the GST replacement and we only have to tax the one time.
With respect to corporate profits, the whole concept is that currently the Income Tax Act and the income tax system are being used to drive social and economic policy. We have to design an income tax system solely for the collection of revenues to pay for the government programs people want. The responsibility of politicians is to find out what the people want and raise the money to do it.
If they come up with a program to support the oil and gas industry, to support the coal industry or to support manufacturing, fishing, forestry or whatever, then they should treat them all the same and not be selective with specific subsidies at a particular time that distorts the marketplace, that confuses the marketplace and that creates unfair competition within the industry. At that time they might be favouring a certain type of industry. Within that industry those who know how to make a profit will be making a profit and those who do not will be getting the subsidy. In a way that is rewarding failure.
The system of a flat tax, a proportional tax or a single tax-I do not care about the name-is an important concept. The principles are important. If we can get members of the House to accept certain principles and concepts, we will go a long way toward solving the problem. No company or industry, even if it is in the city of Calgary where I have worked for 23 years, would object to the fact of eliminating all complications, pretax and after tax. If we just deal with after tax dollars and we all had more disposable income, it would really purify and clean up the system.