Mr. Speaker, as a business man it would be improper for anybody to load up front a billion dollars in any business venture before the whole deal takes place.
This has cost the Canadian taxpayers one billion dollars already. Now it is going to cost corporations the transitional cost for their computers, their point of sale equipment. I am glad he is getting coached by the member from the finance committee because he is going to need it.
The business aspect of this deal is that now that the taxpayers have paid up front, front end loaded a billion dollars, the retailers and the businesses will have to pay to change their computers and to change all this mixed up tax included pricing. After that is all in place, then guess who will have to pay some more after that in a year or two, starting in April. The consumers will have to pay more on goods and services that the GST never applied to. There will be three people paying a lot.
As a business person I would never have entered into this kind of arrangement. It is piecemeal, ad hoc and irresponsible.