Carol Skelton

[National Revenue, May 29th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member and the member for Calgary Southeast for all the hard work they have done on these initiatives.

Yesterday I announced a new taxpayer bill of rights for taxpayers with special commitments for small business and also Canada's very first taxpayers' ombudsman.

Yesterday's announcement was welcomed by organizations such as the CFIB and the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. It was also welcomed by the Liberal revenue critic, but most of all, it was welcomed by Canadian taxpayers.

[Olympic and Paralympic Marks Act, May 15th, 2007]

moved that Bill C-47, An Act respecting the protection of marks related to the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games and protection against certain misleading business associations and making a related amendment to the Trade-marks Act, be read the second time and referred to a committee.

[Settlement of International Investment Disputes Act, May 15th, 2007]

moved that Bill C-53, An Act to implement the Convention on the Settlement of Investment Disputes between States and Nationals of Other States (ICSID Convention), be read the second time and referred to a committee.

[National Revenue, May 10th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, as I have said many times before, I cannot comment on cases. We take very seriously any complaints of deliberate non-compliance on taxes. We take corrective action. I want to reassure the member that we stand up for good taxpayers in our country.

[National Revenue, May 10th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the question, but I want to reassure the House that we ensure that all people who owe money to the Government of Canada pay their tax bills.

[Budget Implementation Act, 2007, March 29th, 2007]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-52, An Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on March 19, 2007.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

[National Revenue, March 27th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I am really not sure why the hon. member believes that low income Canadians do not have the option of filing their taxes for free. CRA has made arrangements with software developers to ensure that free software is available to 60% of Canadian taxpayers. In addition, CRA does provide many other options for those individuals who wish to file their returns for free.

[National Revenue, March 27th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the member's suggestion. It would seem to me that he should have brought it forward before the budget was tabled if he takes it so seriously.

I would like to point out that there are already significant advantages in the speed with which taxpayers receive their returns. That is why we expect nearly 14 million individuals to file electronically this year. It is estimated that there will be a reduction of 15 million pieces of paper this filing season.

[The Budget, March 26th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I think that if people in a thoughtful way read the budget and what we did last year as a government, and reads this year's budget, they will see that we are helping the poorer people of our country.

One has to put all our programs together. It cannot be just one item at a time. Everything should be put together. People will realize how we are helping all Canadians.

[The Budget, March 26th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, the member's province is absolutely beautiful. It is great.

I visited the tax centre. It is an extremely efficient facility. The people who work there are top class. I reassured them that there would be no jobs lost there. We are working on the program and they are being looked at in every way. There will be no jobs lost this year or next year. We are looking at all kinds of programs to put in there because it is such an efficient place. The people in the member's province love to work and they are excellent.