Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask some questions and make some comments on the speech by the hon. member for Elk Island.
There is this concept, which is also part of the motion we are debating today, that somehow the Canadian taxation system is not fair. In fact I heard the hon. member start off with that in the first part of his speech.
I would just like to comment on the fact that recent statistics, if we study them, show that the top 30 per cent of Canadian taxpayers are paying 66 per cent of the total of all taxes in this country. We have a system in Canada which is called progressive taxation so that the more one makes the more one pays. The reality is that our system has been regarded as fair and progressive from years back. It is also part of the Bloc motion that we are somehow taxing the
poor and letting the rich off. This just is not borne out by the statistics of reality.
I would like to address some of the issues that have been brought forward by the Bloc motion and which have also been mentioned by the hon. member.
Our system of taxation is based on voluntary compliance. What voluntary compliance means is that 13 million taxpayers agree to file their tax returns every year and have them assessed by Revenue Canada.
This is a process which is accepted in western democracies. It is a very efficient system. In a sense it is based on the honour system. There are some internal controls and some checks and balances but basically it is run on the good wishes and goodwill of taxpayers.
There is one big feature about that. When people file their tax returns they believe they are confidential. I would like to take the opportunity to read the section of the Income Tax Act which addresses this matter. I would be interested in the member's comments on it.
It states concerning the provision of information in section 241: "Except as authorized by this section, no official shall knowingly provide or knowingly allow to be provided, to any person any taxpayer information, knowingly allow any person to have access to any taxpayer information or knowingly use any taxpayer information otherwise than in the course of the administration of the enforcement of this act, the Canada Pension Plan Act and the Unemployment Insurance Act".
The purpose of this is to give people assurance that when they send their information to Revenue Canada that it is confidential.
This matter that has been brought forward by the Bloc today, and I would be interesting in the member's comments-