Mr. Speaker, it is always entertaining to listen to NDP members talk about corporate taxes. They have such a lack of understanding about who pays corporate taxes. Corporate taxes are not paid by corporations. Corporate taxes are paid by their customers.
This NDP member comes from Sault Ste. Marie where Algoma is in constant competition with the U.S., China and every other jurisdiction that makes steel. Yet, he does not understand that it is the customers of Algoma who pay the corporate tax. Why does he not understand that by reducing corporate taxes, as was budgeted in the original budget, in 2006, 2007 and 2008 it will continue to make corporations competitive in the world?
Because corporate taxes will ultimately be paid by the corporations' customers, we are talking about making corporations less competitive. It takes away hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of Canadian jobs by not allowing Canadian corporations to be competitive with the U.S., China, Brazil, France, Korea and all of the customers with whom Algoma is in competition.
The member should be ashamed of himself for not being prepared to stand up for the workers in Sault Ste. Marie, Hamilton, British Columbia and the ones who need the jobs. It is the customers of the corporations that pay the taxes.