“The House Trade Committee has recommended the federal government make e-commerce platforms like Netflix subject to sales taxes. Should this be acted on? Why or why not?”

Cameron Ahmad Liberal strategist “Our government is committed to ensuring that Canada's tax system is fair and supports an innovative economy. In that vein, we regularly assess the tax system to ensure it is fair and efficient. “The international community is regularly examining the impacts of digitalization on some key aspects of existing tax frameworks, and working toward a consensus-based approach. With this in mind, Canada will continue to engage in multilateral reviews. “G20 countries agree that international cooperation is needed to harness the opportunities and ensure the benefits are shared by all. “That being said, getting it right means considering all the potential risks of such measures so we will take a concerted and careful approach to ensure we continue to foster innovation and attract investment in the digital sector. “Our government has been clear that there will be no Canadian-content levy on foreign suppliers like Netflix and no Internet broadband tax.” Cory Hann Conservative strategist “I feel like it was only yesterday Conservatives were warning Canadians about the potential of a Netflix tax from the Liberals. Sure enough, the first chance the Liberals had, they trial ballooned a Netflix tax. When they realized their spin of it being about ‘fairness’ was getting stomached about as well as a sun soaked egg salad sandwich, they insisted instead they were not going to tax streaming services like Netflix. What a victory for taxpayers! “And yet, here we go again. Canadians want to be able to watch their streaming services and use the internet without having to pay even more. But with a Liberal government running massive deficits, they’re running out of other people’s money to spend. Instead of cutting their own wastefulness, they’re looking at raising taxes on hard-working Canadians. So it’s no surprise the Liberals are once again suggesting a Netflix tax. “It’s just another example of Justin Trudeau and his Liberals putting government before people. With Andrew Scheer and the Conservative Party, Canadians can count on us putting people before government—the way it should be. We will fix Justin Trudeau’s failures. And we’ll do it without a Netflix tax.” Sarah Andrews NDP strategist “For months now, actors have been coming forward calling on the government to make sure that all companies pay their fair share. After the entire cultural industry in Quebec, the NDP, and the Quebec government made similar calls, it is refreshing to see a Liberal-dominated committee call on the government to make so-called web giants subject to the same rules as everyone else. “The Liberal government is upholding privileged rules for foreign businesses while enforcing other rules for Canadian cultural companies. At the same time, it is signing sweetheart deals with web giants such as Netflix that do not guarantee any amount of French-language, Indigenous or any other content. Nor do they guarantee that our actors and our production companies will be recruited. “To tackle inequality, we need to take on a rigged tax system that benefits the ultra-rich and make sure that corporations and the wealthiest contribute their fair share. Taxes are investments into building a fairer society for us all.” Mathieu R. St-Amand Québécois parliamentary group strategist “Clearly, there are some Liberal MPs who know what it means to have common sense. It is high time that the government listened to them and started to tax the Internet giants. It is unbelievable that some foreign companies are enjoying a significant tax holiday. Why does Netflix not have to pay taxes while illico and Tou.Tv pay their fair share? We have repeatedly asked Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly to explain the situation, but she has never given a straight answer. “More and more countries are introducing a mechanism to collect taxes from these giants. Meanwhile, Ottawa seems to be twiddling its thumbs. Even the Quebec government, which has very limited resources, has decided to tax Netflix. The National Assembly is unanimously calling on Ottawa to do the same. “What could possibly be the government’s rationale for refusing to collect its own tax? We really cannot figure out why the government would say no to this revenue. Tax season is here, and if you don’t pay what you owe, the government will certainly come looking for it. So why not apply this same principle to the Internet giants?” Debra Eindiguer Green strategist “Canadians have always had to carefully develop and secure their culture in the shadow of the giant on our southern border and its attempts to colonize the Canadian mind. Institutions like the CRTC and the CBC were designed to respond to these incursions and have proven to be successful institutions of cultural resistance. “Today the threat has changed. Incarnations like Google and Netflix are the new vanguard of a foreign culture and, alarmingly, benefit from unfair tax advantages over Canadian businesses. “So, yes, let’s tax Goliath. Let’s require foreign media and streaming sites to collect sales tax, such as HST. And let’s take that money to support and protect Canadian content. “Canada has a moderately successful track record of striking a balance between openness to foreign cultures and protecting our own cultural industries. Taxation here is simply a matter of necessary redress. “The Green Party commends the House Trade Committee in recommending the federal government subject all e-commerce platforms to sales taxes.”