Canada’s National Revenue Minister Gail Shea will not have to explain her department’s spending priorities at a House of Commons finance committee meeting on tax havens because government MPs struck down a request from the Official Opposition NDP.
The NDP had wanted Shea to explain cuts to the Canada Revenue Agency in the wake of leaked information that 450 Canadians are using tax havens.
“Independent estimates indicate that Canada could be losing between $5.3 billion and $7.8 billion annually in tax revenue as a consequence of illegal tax havens,” said Murray Rankin, the NDP’s critic for national revenue.
According to an article by Bill Curry in Tuesday’s Globe and Mail newspaper, the NDP’s request was supported by opposition Liberal finance critic Scott Brison. Even so, ruling Conservative MPs on the committee argued that department officials had already appeared in February and the minister had dealt with the issue in the House of Commons Question Period.
Meanwhile, Minister Shea is calling for media organizations to hand over a list of names related to alleged tax evasion around the world.
At the beginning of April, CBC News was one of 37 media outlets to report exclusive details of a massive leak of financial documents that revealed alleged use of offshore tax havens to avoid income tax by thousands of people around the world, including 450 Canadians.
More information:
Globe and Mail – Committee studying offshore tax evasion will not question revenue minister – here
CBC News – Revenue Canada cuts undermine tax haven crackdown, NDP says – here
CBC News – Gail Shea wants list of Canadians in document leak for ‘thorough investigation’ – here
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