Finance committee  Thank you. Mr. Moody, you mentioned our competitiveness when it comes to tax rates. I also have a blog post that you did, which I thought encapsulated it pretty well, where you said: [I]t is...disappointing given the fact that our country’s personal and corporate tax rates...are not competitive when compared to the gorilla south of the border (the United States).

Finance committee  I want to maybe just turn to intergenerational transfers of family businesses. It came up in the first panel. I know you were there, so you had a chance to benefit from that discussion, but I'm sure you have some thoughts on this as well. MNP used the example of, I think, a bakery in Waterloo.

Finance committee  Thanks, Mr. Chair. I have a few questions for MNP. One of them has already been touched on which was regarding intergenerational transfers. I might come back to it if there's time, but because it's been touched on already, I'll go to the other two things I wanted to ask you about.

Finance committee  When I do round table meetings and meet with business owners across the country, just about always the two biggest issues that come up are the complexity of filing a tax return and the issues in dealing with Revenue Canada. With the thousands of people who work at Revenue Canada, when you try to give them a call, good luck getting anyone on the phone.

Finance committee  My colleague Mr. Poilievre asked the vast majority of the questions that I sought to get some clarity on. I do have one that remains. However, I will point out that while I know it's not the fault of the officials here and certainly lies squarely on the government itself, it is very troubling that we don't have any of the answers.

Finance committee  I guess I'll have to come back to it.

Finance committee  It came back to my mind. The one question that I had remaining was about the effects on pricing. I'm wondering if any analysis has been done, both in looking at other government programs in other jurisdictions and also just in modelling on this, on the effects that might be expected on pricing.

Finance committee  There is an expectation of some upward pressure on the prices, then, and I think that's all the more reason why the details of this are so important. At the end of the day, I think the challenge that a lot of first-time buyers face is having to save for that down payment, rather than the size of the mortgage.

Finance committee  If it's so important, you should be able to tell us the answer. Is it yes or no? Will there be a decision?

Finance committee  He's just trying to kill time and not answer the question. That's the problem, Mr. Chair.

Finance committee  If he says it's important, then he should be able to give us the decision. Is it yes or no?

Finance committee  Are you kidding me? We're asking you a simple yes or no question—will there be a decision or not—and you refuse to answer it. People deserve to know. There are thousands of Albertans out of work and they deserve to know the answer. Is it yes or is it no?

Finance committee  There are thousands of Albertans who are out of work and are hurting right now, and they deserve an answer. I really hope you're going to give one, Minister. Is it yes or no? Will we have a decision before the next election, yes or no? That will give you lots of time. I don't want any more of the rhetoric.

Finance committee  He's not responding. Yes or no is what we're asking for here.

Finance committee  Then why can't you just tell us when there will be a decision?