IT'S doubtful anyone was surprised when names of more than 400 Canadians apparently turned up in leaked papers with offshore financial data. It's long been suspected that the wealthy - both those who got their money honesty and those who didn't - have ways of "opting out" of the system.
There may be some legitimate reasons for funnelling wads of cash through obscure companies based in Caribbean islands. For the most part, however, those who do so are looking hide something.
That, of course, is an option not available to average people, who can frequently be found at this time of year hunched over shoeboxes, trying to find receipts to file with their taxes. Our system is essentially based on honest reporting, with enforcement and investigation secondary to that.
However much it may annoy, our tax system is fundamental to who we are as Canadians. It's the primary way we redistribute money, ensuring those who have enough take care of those who don't. It's how we collectively pay for what's essential to a just society: our education and health care, our social safety nets and rule of law.
It's especially galling when a privileged few feel they need not take part.
In response to the news this week, the government said it will go after tax cheats. But when resources to do that are being cut back, it's hard to see how.
Average Canadians could be forgiven for wondering whether the elite who make the tax laws have a less than voracious appetite for pursuing those in similar rarified circles. Go ahead, Revenue Canada, and prove us wrong.
