Madam Speaker, I listened and I am almost stunned at what I heard. The member went through a litany of points. It makes me wonder how Canadians feel when they hear information which is conflicting with fact. How do they feel when they know that information given in the House of Commons is just wrong? Do they wonder whether or not the member is somehow trying to make a point by hoping somebody would not understand that there are reasons for things and that representations are somehow relevant?
The member talked about personal income taxes and made some comments about how people do not do their own tax returns. This year taxpayers can actually file their income tax returns over the telephone with a touchtone phone. It takes less than 10 minutes because the vast majority of taxpayers have very straightforward tax returns and they can get quick returns.
The member went on to say that the Income Tax Act is the size of a telephone book. The member has implied somehow that the Income Tax Act which individuals have to deal with is as thick as a telephone book and they have to know everything that is in it. What the member did not say is that the Income Tax Act of Canada includes corporate income taxes which is the vast majority of the tax act. It also includes interpretation bulletins, information circulars and regulations which guide the Income Tax Act when people are interested in what is in it.
The member implied that the tax relationship with the Netherlands Antilles somehow had something to do with the current finance minister, that he was somehow getting around something. That is to suggest there is something wrong. We have tax treaties with countries around the world. We have those treaties so we can promote bilateral trade and cultural exchange. Those are good for Canadians because 40% of our GDP is export oriented.
The member has given information which is incorrect. He has given information which is not in keeping with the facts. I really am very sorry that Canadians have to bear some of this stuff, even when it gets down to that somehow the terrible government has restricted RRSPs.
The current RRSP limit for Canadian taxpayers is $13,500 per year. A person has to make $75,000 a year to be able to reach that maximum. That means 5% of Canadians cannot put in more because they have more income. He is talking about less than 5% of the income earners of Canada. The member is somehow suggesting to all Canadians that this is unfair.
The issue is that the member has put a bunch of information on the table which he knows is incorrect. Canadians deserve an apology for the incorrect information which was suggested as the truth by the member.