Mr. Speaker, earlier today I contacted the office of the Minister of Finance to find out what it was doing to eliminate policies that discourage sustainable forestry practices on small private woodlots. Those inheriting woodlots are taxed on the value of the tree land, which encourages clear-cutting. In addition, unlike farmers woodlot owners are unable to deduct maintenance expenses from their income or claim the capital gains exemption.
In a letter to woodlot owners the Minister of Finance agreed that the tax system should not produce environmentally perverse practices. This has been a 12 year chase for 420,000 woodlot owners. When will the government sort it out and get it right?