Mr. Speaker, everyday working people or small-business owners who pay their taxes late pay interest and penalties. The tax collector chases them. They can even be criminally charged. However, if people are part of the 1%, the government chooses to protect them. If they break the rules, they can even avoid a fine by negotiating a deal with the government.
Would the member end penalty-free amnesty deals, as we have seen, for individuals suspected of tax evasion? We have not seen action from the government. In fact, the government is choosing to uphold loopholes for the rich instead of closing them. Direct action on this issue would be closing tax loopholes for the rich, these tax agreements that are in place, which are legal, and going after people who are actually breaking the rules on the backs of everyday Canadians.