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Results: 1 - 6 of 6
View Peter Julian Profile
NDP (BC)
I do thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
First off, Netflix is excluded from paying the much-vaunted new tax. Will the government disclose the secret agreement that took place in negotiations with Netflix behind the scene?
Secondly, concerning the Trans Mountain pipeline, how much does the government expect to pour into that pipeline? Given that the PBO has indicated that it will cost $14 billion for construction and another $4.5 billion for acquisition, at what point will this government step in to say enough is enough: we're not going to keep pouring money into this pipeline?
View Chrystia Freeland Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Julian, you and I sometimes disagree on policy outcomes, but rarely do we disagree on facts. Here, however, when it comes to Internet taxes, I must say that I disagree with your framing of what our government is doing. Let me just take a moment to outline what we're doing. First of all, there is no exclusion for Netflix or any Internet company.
Second of all, our government in this budget and in the fall economic statement is moving more clearly and more forcefully to introduce a level playing field for international and Canadian companies when it comes to the Internet space, and to impose taxes on digital service companies. We're doing that more forcefully than any Canadian government has ever done. We are doing that in three parts.
I now see the chair looking like he wants me to stop talking, so I will have to talk about those three different levels of tax that we are introducing in another answer, but I want to be clear that our government believes it is important to have a level playing field for Canadian companies in the Internet space, and it's important to be taxing the companies that are active in this space.
View Peter Julian Profile
NDP (BC)
It's a doubleheader.
First, the minister is saying that Netflix is not excluded from the proposed digital services tax. Evidence has shown the contrary. Could the finance ministry provide the information that shows Netflix is not excluded from the proposed tax?
Second, in terms of tax havens, given that CRA officials have said before this committee that they did not have the tools to take action against massive tax evasions that we're seeing, when will the finance ministry be tabling legislation that would actually provide CRA officials with the tools required to take action?
Andrew Marsland
View Andrew Marsland Profile
Andrew Marsland
2021-05-11 17:37
With respect to the first question, I think it's important to understand what the proposed digital services tax is about and what it's not about. It's not about taxing consumption in Canada. As you know, Bill C-30 includes measures to require the collection of GST by non-residents who are providing certain services.
What the proposed digital services tax is about in a corporate taxation context is making sure that where value is created in Canada, it's subject to tax. The value that's created—which is novel in the digital environment—is essentially the monetization of user data, meaning the data we all provide when we participate in social media, search engines, and so on. That data is often monetized and that value is created in Canada, and it's appropriate that it be taxed.
That's what it's about. There is no exclusion for any particular enterprise. There is a scope proposed for the tax, and that scope would not normally include the sale per se of goods or services. It may include situations where there is data harvested through that activity. That may be within the scope of the proposed tax.
Andrew Marsland
View Andrew Marsland Profile
Andrew Marsland
2021-05-11 17:39
I'm not in a position to discuss particular enterprises. What I was trying to explain was the scope of that tax. Any particular enterprise would be included to the extent that it was involved in the monetization of data and the other requirements of the proposed tax were met.
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