Tax reform: Morneau wants to be a red herring, denounces the opposition

Photo MAXIME HUARD

Maxime Huard

Wednesday, 13 December 2017 17:56

UPDATE
Wednesday, 13 December 2017 17:56

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OTTAWA – In announcing changes to its tax reform just before the New Year, the minister of Finance has not only taken the canadian entrepreneurs in surprise, but he tries to forget his controversies, ethical, has voiced opposition Wednesday.

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“The government has improvised from A to Z, and there it deposits its tax measures at the last minute. This is not responsible”, has denounced the conservative mp Gérard Deltell.

“Fortunately, he put aside some of the challenged measures, but the announcement of today remains tainted by his ethical problems”, he added, in reference to the scandals around the financial assets for the minister Bill Morneau.

The latter announced on Wednesday, easing to its highly controversial tax reform. The business owners will be able to continue to split their income with their family members if they actively contribute to the company, on the condition that they provide 20 hours of work, or that they hold 10 % of the shares.

No escape possible

For the opposition, these details on the reform are falling much too late and, above all, will not enable the minister to forget about his parliamentary session to be laborious.

“Mr. Morneau tries to change the channel and forget that it is in the hot water,” said the mp néodémocrate Alexandre Boulerice. According to him, if “the discussion around the Christmas turkey” revolve around the sale of the assets of Morneau Sheppell and investigations of the ethics commissioner, the minister will not be able to turn the page by 2018.

The Bloc québécois has denounced on its side “a kerfuffle in the goal to create a diversion”. “It’s been weeks that the liberals are on the ropes, and suddenly Mr. Morneau removal of the tax measures to apply in two weeks. This is laugh of the world,” said the member Rhéal Fortin.

Concert reviews

The criticism against the tax reform Bill Morneau started around Wednesday. In the morning, the senate finance committee has tabled a report requesting the abandonment pure and simple of the project. The document notes that the proposed changes to the income tax Act would be detrimental to the entrepreneurs, and that more consultations should be conducted.

For its part, the canadian Federation of independent business (CFIB) believes that the Trudeau government is expected to push the changes to the January 1, 2019.

“Many thousands of owners of SMES have only few days to assess how they will be affected. We can not say that we are in a perspective of tax fairness,” said the vice-president of the CFIB, Martine Hébert, in a press release.

Mr. Morneau recalled in the press that his tax reform was announced in July, and that businesses have the next year to adapt to them. “We will continue to move forward with these measures,” he added in response to the senate report.

The minister has turned his back to reporters before being able to take ethical questions.