Finance committee  Just to explain the point, currently the metric is pointed at how many items they bring forward. The problem behind that metric is that if, let's say, they bring forward 100 issues and only 40 get actually assessed, and the government and the taxpayers spend a lot of time discuss

Finance committee  FEI Canada didn't say that we wanted to promote raising any taxes.

Finance committee  We said the government needs to balance the budget because Canadians need to be able to afford to maintain Canada's social programs at their current level. There are what I would call demographically driven increases inherent in the current expenditures. As our society ages, the

Finance committee  If at the end of the day there needs to be a revenue increase, we have said that economists agree that commodity tax increases are the best form of taxation.

Finance committee  It's been a very long time since the tax act has been reviewed. It comes down to the need to eliminate, consolidate, and streamline.

Finance committee  The biggest cause is it hasn't been reviewed for a very long time. There are sections that need to eliminate measures that no longer achieve desired policy objectives. You need to consolidate measures that have grown so many arms they can be scaled back, for example, the number o

Finance committee  Actually, each subsequent budget makes it fatter and fatter and fatter, and nobody goes back and trims out the tree.

Finance committee  We just said it would be appropriate to fund incremental improvements to health care through increases in taxes. As for the impact on other ways, I'm sure the government has ways to police those appropriately.

Finance committee  We would like to think so, yes.

Finance committee  I should mention that actually Minister Flaherty is an honorary member of our organization.

Finance committee  Certainly Canada has fared far better than many of the other G-7s.

Finance committee  That would be.... I don't know how Mr. Knight would grade you—

Finance committee  —but we are concerned that there are still brackets. We are concerned that the recent forecast showed a bit of a slip from what the plan was going to be.

Finance committee  We're certainly moving in the right direction, and we'd encourage...to continue to do so, because the next recession will happen sooner or later. It's better to get the books in order to be well prepared again.

Finance committee  Yes, but we also can't be complacent.