The top dog at the Canada Revenue Agency is hearing a lot of suggestions on how to help out the economy.
Jean-Pierre Blackburn, the minister of national revenue, was in Halifax yesterday to speak to the Certified General Accountants Association of Nova Scotia.
His topic was the new tax-free savings accounts, but in an interview he discussed the federal budget which will be unveiled later this month.
Blackburn said he’s been doing a lot of consultations with people in his riding in Quebec who have come up with some ideas: Cancel the two-week waiting period for employment insurance benefits and extend benefits when there are massive layoffs, as well as a credit for people who renovate their homes.
“And everyone around the table said they need to see the government invest heavily in infrastructure with projects that can start now,” Blackburn said, adding he will forward these suggestions to the Finance Department.
What he didn’t hear was any suggestions to lower taxes to stimulate the economy.
“Probably they didn’t say it because they already know that we decided one year ago that some taxes would be reduced,” he said.
