PBO TO GET DATA TO GAUGE COST OF TAX AVOIDANCE
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says a deal has been struck that will give the parliamentary budget officer the data needed to conduct an independent analysis of the revenue Ottawa loses each year due to offshore tax havens and other schemes. The budget officer has been demanding the data for five years but the Canada Revenue Agency has refused, citing privacy concerns. The Conference Board of Canada has estimated that tax evasion and avoidance cost the federal treasury between $8.9 billion and $47.8 billion annually.