Mr. Speaker, I listened with interest to my hon. friend's dissertation on the son of GST, called the VAT. We will be referring to the Minister of Finance as Vatman or something of that nature.
Can the hon. member respond to this observation? When we go into book stores these days, the books we notice front and centre are books on how to avoid tax, how to reduce taxable income and so on. For many, tax evasion has become a blood sport. Being in a situation where one can avoid paying tax and participate in the underground economy now is something that Canadians increasingly are part of unfortunately.
Would the hon. member say that the reason for these activities is because Canadians generally have lost faith in our tax system? Do they see it as a fair system, an equitable system, a just system where all people are paying a fair share? If the perception is that it is unjust, unfair, then people are saying: "I might as well try to do whatever I can to avoid paying what taxes I am because I am probably paying too much".