A bill to require the Canada Revenue Agency to report on how much tax money it fails to collect. The bill also requires the CRA to list all convictions for tax evasion. Members talked about the need for more transparency and accountability, and whether there were privacy concerns with the bill. Most seemed to support the bill.
“I want the Canada Revenue Agency to be more transparent about tax evasion convictions and the tax gap. I think the Parliamentary Budget Officer should have access to CRA data to analyze the tax gap independently. This bill would help with that. I agree with Senator Downe that Canadians deserve more transparency on this issue. The CRA has been asked to do a lot of things outside of its core mandate, and that's not fair to the hardworking people there. We need to make sure the CRA has the tools to collect taxes effectively.”
“I will vote for the anti-tax-evasion bill. But where are the new rules against avoiding taxes through tax havens? That's not fair. Make them pay more too.”
“You made a good point about tax avoidance. My bill starts to measure that 'tax gap'. Let's study it more at committee. That gap between what's owed and what the CRA collects is what we're trying to fix.”
“You're right. We need more transparency and accountability. If people know what's going on, maybe we can help the CRA focus on collecting money and catching tax evaders. More transparency might help us make better laws for that.”
“I'm filling time with kind words about the Prime Minister. I think a stronger Canada can help America. Conservatives are conceding on our arts industry. The budget has measures for tax fairness, but Conservatives are voting against it. This bill could make a positive difference. The CRA is doing a good job. We should pass this bill and consider amendments in committee. Thanks to Senator Percy Downe for his work on this.”
“I support this bill. It helps opposition MPs more than the public. I want the CRA to be more effective at collecting money. The government should be transparent about debt write-offs and relief measures. I want to go further and look at tax avoidance too. We should treat everyone equally. Canada passed a law to impose a minimum tax rate on companies that declare profits abroad. We need to see the numbers to know if it's effective. The money is owed to society. We should tackle tax havens urgently.”
“I support this bill. It's a no-brainer. The CRA needs to crack down on white-collar criminals and companies that don't pay their taxes. We need to know the tax gap and flush out the scoundrels using tax havens. Canada should be like other countries that have recovered millions from tax cheats. It's not fair that hard-working Canadians pay their taxes while others evade them. The CRA has been mismanaged under the Liberals and needs to do its job. I want this bill to pass.”
“I think the CRA is already doing a good job. They have a lot of investigations and people are being sentenced to prison for tax evasion. The CRA already publishes convictions and gives information to the Parliamentary Budget Officer. The tax gap is not a perfect measure, but it helps us understand the health of our tax system. The CRA's actions are reducing the tax gap. This bill wants more reporting, but the CRA is already doing a lot and people can access the information.”
“I like this bill. I want the CRA to put out a list of tax cheats. The CRA should figure out how much tax they're missing out on. They should give the Parliamentary Budget Officer the data to figure it out too. This helps keep taxes low for everyone.”
