Madam Speaker, I am grateful for the opportunity to present a number of petitions in the House this evening.
The first petition is about taxes. Canadians are never that keen about paying their taxes, which is why Conservatives would axe the tax. This petition, though, is about tax filing.
The petitioners note that tax filing is a requirement for most Canadians, regardless of their ability to access online platforms. They note that paper filing and instructions on how to file have been available for decades. The petitioners are concerned that a recent decision of the CRA means that it will no longer print line-by-line instructions in the paper package and will impose penalties for paper filing of certain taxes, including for businesses filing GST/HST returns. This unequally disadvantages vulnerable Canadians and creates big challenges for those who do not have the same level of connectivity that most of us have.
The petitioners call on the government to remove all penalties associated with paper filing and to make available print copies of the line-by-line instructions for tax filing for anyone who requests them.