{"time": "2010-12-13 16:30:00", "attribution": {"en": "Mr. Mike Wallace (Burlington, CPC)", "fr": ""}, "content": {"en": "

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

\n

I want to thank our guests for coming today and providing the information.

\n

In this area, as in many areas, numbers can be thrown around and put before the public, and let's be frank, the public doesn't have a great understanding\u2014and neither did I, until I started looking at the issue\u2014of what actually is happening; I think that's only fair.

\n

For example, we had a comment about recoveries. It could have been about collections and not about audits of international activity that are happening. I don't know what happened 15 or 20 years ago, when that minister was there, but I'm guessing it was about collections.

\n

Just give me some examples. Based on what you've responded to other members, we don't\u2014or your organization doesn't\u2014waste a lot of time trying to come up with a guesstimate number on what the outstanding numbers might be. You're actually going after those who are either avoiding taxes\u2014which is not a criminal offence, but there are penalties and so on, and we need to get that money back\u2014or those who are purposely not paying taxes, and that is a criminal offence. Based on the answers you've given here today, you're actually actively pursuing those avenues.

\n

Based on the numbers you've told me, back in 2005 and 2006 it looks as though there were about 278 cases, and about $175 million was recovered\u2014found, recovered, paid back, or whatever. By this time last year there were about 1,250 cases and about $1 billion.

\n

Is that because you have more resources? Have we been spending more money in this particular area, with more people doing it? Is that what is generating that tremendous increase in recoveries?

", "fr": "

Merci, monsieur le pr\u00e9sident.

\n

Je remercie nos invit\u00e9s d'\u00eatre venus t\u00e9moigner aujourd'hui.

\n

Dans ce domaine, comme tant d'autres, on peut lancer bien des chiffres mais parlons franchement, le public ne comprend pas tr\u00e8s bien ce qui se passe; moi non plus d'ailleurs, avant de commencer \u00e0 m'int\u00e9resser \u00e0 la question. Je pense en toute justice qu'il faut le souligner.

\n

Par exemple, on n'a parl\u00e9 des sommes r\u00e9cup\u00e9r\u00e9es. On n'aurait pu parler des imp\u00f4ts per\u00e7us et non des v\u00e9rifications des activit\u00e9s internationales. J'ignore ce qui se passait voil\u00e0 15 ou 20 ans, quand cette personne \u00e9tait ministre, mais j'imagine qu'on s'affairait \u00e0 percevoir des imp\u00f4ts.

\n

Permettez-moi de donner quelques exemples. D'apr\u00e8s ce que vous avez r\u00e9pondu \u00e0 d'autres d\u00e9put\u00e9s, votre organisme ne perd pas beaucoup de temps \u00e0 deviner le montant des imp\u00f4ts impay\u00e9s. Vous s\u00e9vissez contre ceux qui se livrent \u00e0 l'\u00e9vitement fiscal \u2014 ce qui n'est pas un acte criminel, mais entra\u00eene quand m\u00eame certaines p\u00e9nalit\u00e9s, etc., et nous devons r\u00e9cup\u00e9rer cet argent \u2014 ou ceux qui ne paient pas leurs imp\u00f4ts d\u00e9lib\u00e9r\u00e9ment, ce qui est un acte criminel. D'apr\u00e8s les r\u00e9ponses que vous avez donn\u00e9es jusqu'ici, vous travaillez activement dans ce sens.

\n

D'apr\u00e8s les statistiques que vous m'avez donn\u00e9es, il y avait environ 278 cas en 2005 et 2006, et quelque 175 millions de dollars ont \u00e9t\u00e9 recouvr\u00e9s \u2014 c'est-\u00e0-dire d\u00e9couverts, r\u00e9cup\u00e9r\u00e9s et rembours\u00e9s. L'ann\u00e9e derni\u00e8re, \u00e0 cette date, on avait d\u00e9couvert environ 1 250 cas qui repr\u00e9sentaient environ un milliard de dollars.

\n

Est-ce parce que vous avez plus de ressources \u00e0 pr\u00e9sent? Affectons-nous plus de gens et d'argent \u00e0 cette activit\u00e9? Est-ce cela qui explique cette augmentation faramineuse des sommes r\u00e9cup\u00e9r\u00e9es?

"}, "url": "/committees/finance/40-3/54/mike-wallace-1/", "politician_url": "/politicians/mike-wallace/", "politician_membership_url": "/politicians/memberships/607/", "procedural": false, "source_id": "3671603", "document_url": "/committees/finance/40-3/54/", "related": {"document_speeches_url": "/speeches/?document=%2Fcommittees%2Ffinance%2F40-3%2F54%2F"}}