(Translation) Thank you, Madam Speaker. I would like to speak today about income tax return preparation assistance presently available in the communities of my constituency. What I am about to speak of, is likely the case in most smaller communities. Every year, there are problems with the availability of people who can help prepare income tax returns.

Although there are some people in the communities who offer this service, there is some concern regarding the quality and accuracy of returns that are prepared. I have been told that mistakes have been made where people were told by the person who prepared their returns to expect a refund, only to find out later they are owing taxes instead.

Sometimes this is quite a shock when they find out they owe a large amount of money. This has been an ongoing problem for many years. There is a need for more professional people to provide this service to my constituents.

Madam Speaker, there is also an urgent need for more information to be circulated in the communities regarding the goods and services tax. People need to understand what they should be doing with regard to this tax. If they are running a small business, they should know how much they should expect to get back if they are eligible for a refund.

These are two urgent matters that need to be addressed so people in smaller communities have the assistance and information required to keep their finances in order. Thank you, Madam Speaker.