House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2011, with 57% of the vote.
Canada Revenue Agency February 8th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, some new employees did not receive their salary cheques on time. CRA has taken vigorous action to correct this. If the member opposite is aware of any specific individuals who have not received their cheques, I would appreciate his advising me and we will take action.
Canada Revenue Agency February 8th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, CRA continues to improve efficiency in the service. Through a very thorough study, it found that centralizing this service in two locations would deliver better service. I should also note that CRA continues to expand numbers. Employment overall in CRA continues to increase.
Questions on the Order Paper December 12th, 2007
Mr. Speaker, the Canada Revenue Agency, CRA, does not collect the information in the manner requested in the above-noted question, as the income tax and benefit return does not require individuals to provide additional information relating to their educational institutions in the manner described, i.e., “post secondary institution accredited by a province in Canada”.
Taxation December 7th, 2007
Mr. Speaker, in accordance with the Income Tax Act, of course, I am unable to talk about the specifics of the case. However, I would like to point out that the member for LaSalle—Émard, when he was prime minister, and the member for Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca on a number of occasions promised to resolve this issue, but they just did not get it done.
We are getting it done. I can tell the House that a remission order to address this case was passed on November 14 and the CRA is working to process this order in a timely fashion. Moving forward, we will be examining the tax rolls to determine whether measures should be taken to help prevent a similar situation from occurring in the future.
Budget and Economic Statement Implementation Act, 2007 December 7th, 2007
Mr. Speaker, through the building Canada plan, our government is making the largest investment in infrastructure in modern history, with $33 billion over the next seven years. This is new money to build roads and improve public transit, to rehabilitate bridges and water systems, and to upgrade our international gateways, ports and airports.
We believe that we are going to be able to leverage this $33 billion into $100 billion through cooperation with the provinces and with private investment. I think that as our plan is implemented over the next seven years, members are going to find substantial improvements in infrastructure that had been allowed to lie and decay in the last 13 years of the Liberal regime.
Budget and Economic Statement Implementation Act, 2007 December 7th, 2007
Mr. Speaker, as we all know, the recent budgets addressed not only a reduction of corporate tax rates but a whole lot of other issues, such as infrastructure, transfers to the provinces, health care and all these other requirements of our society. The budgets of 2006 and 2007 and the update do not address only corporate tax cuts.
Yes, when investors decide to invest in Canada, they take into consideration a lot of those factors: our well-educated population, our health care, our infrastructure, our energy resources, et cetera. However, they also look at the tax rates. It is in our interest to reduce the tax rates for corporations to as low as possible to encourage investment, because it is corporations that provide most of the jobs. Other than the public services such as government, schools or hospitals, the rest of the economy is a corporate economy, which requires tax rates that are as low as possible.
Budget and Economic Statement Implementation Act, 2007 December 7th, 2007
Mr. Speaker, in the 2007 economic statement, the government announced broad-based tax relief that will help provide Canada with a tax system that rewards Canadians for realizing their full potential, encourages investment in Canada, fuels growth in the economy, creates more and better jobs, and improves standards of living.
Our bold, broad-based business tax reductions are a key part of this plan and will give Canada the most competitive business tax regime in the G-7. Internationally competitive business taxes are crucial to attracting investment to Canada, and many other countries are recognizing the value of lower tax rates.
A lower tax rate on business income encourages investment and entrepreneurship by both domestic and foreign firms. This investment in new capital increases productivity and economic growth, creates jobs, increases incomes and raises living standards.
Even the Liberal leader has admitted that our Conservative government is right for cutting corporate taxes, stating:
A low corporate tax rate is not a right wing policy or a left wing policy. It is a sound policy.
It is especially important during these times of economic uncertainty to reinforce the Canadian business environment. Adapting to changes in the global economy and dealing with the weakness of the U.S. economy are significant challenges for Canadian business.
The strong fiscal position of the Government of Canada provides an opportunity to put in place broad-based tax reductions that few other countries can afford. At this time of economic uncertainty, we are putting in place tax measures that bolster confidence, encourage investment and support job creation.
In the 2007 economic statement, we introduced a bold new tax reduction initiative that will lower federal corporate income tax rates to 15% by 2012. With this initiative, the federal corporate income tax rate in 2012 will be a remarkable 14 percentage points lower than its level in 2000. These broad-based tax reductions build on the measures announced in the 2006 and the 2007 budgets to strengthen Canada's tax advantage.
As a result of these tax reductions, businesses in Canada will meet the Advantage Canada goal of achieving the lowest tax rate on new business investment in the G-7 by 2011. Further, by 2012 we will have the lowest statutory corporate income tax rate in the G-7.
The tax reduction actions our government took in the 2007 economic statement are sustainable and durable. They make Canada a country of choice for investment, not just today but in the years to come. This will provide Canadians with more and better jobs and a higher standard of living.
Canada Revenue Agency November 22nd, 2007
Mr. Speaker, let me assure the House that each tax case is assessed against the particular conditions that apply to it.
However, I cannot talk about a particular tax case in the House because of the Income Tax Act.
Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply October 23rd, 2007
You were doing so well.
Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply October 23rd, 2007
Mr. Speaker, our country and many of the highly industrialized countries are going through a fundamental shift in the economy. That fundamental shift is from traditional manufacturing to service industries. We are not isolated from this general trend in the advanced societies.
As members know, overall employment in our country has been rising steadily. In fact, we have an economy that is admired by all the other G-8 countries. With respect to industries, there are certain industries that are in difficulty while other industries are doing well.
As we go into the future, we have to find ways to fill niches because we have competition from various countries around the world for various products. We also have to make sure that our consumers in Canada purchase Canadian goods of equal value where possible. Our government is doing what it can to drive that agenda.