Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his question. It allows me to again confirm that what this government is doing is an illusion. It makes a claim, tries to convince Canadians, and then tries to manage expectations.
The government promised a tax cut for the middle class. However, people with an annual income of $45,000 or less do not benefit from that cut. People earning $60,000 a year might get a bit of extra money every year. However, those who earn over $90,000 a year, those who earn between $145,000 and $200,000, and even those who earn up to $213,000 a year will get a tax cut.
We have tried to make suggestions. To make the government's tax cut truly about the middle class, we suggested not changing the tax rate for Canadians in the second tax bracket, which begins at $45,000, and instead apply the tax cut starting at $11,000. Those earning less than $11,000 do not pay tax because of the basic exemption. The biggest cuts would start at $11,000, and Canadians earning $45,000 would get the cuts as well. People like us would pay more tax. We have the means.
This government turned a deaf ear to these proposals and ended up in a situation where most people are not benefiting at all from the tax cut. In fact, roughly 20% of the population, the wealthiest Canadians, are receiving the maximum.