A public affairs and media-advertising campaign by the income trust sector has brought back income trust taxation policy into the news. The position of the COMPAS panel of CEOs and business leaders is mixed. From the perspective of the Harper government, the positive news is that panellists are virtually as convinced as in November, that income trusts are a threat to government revenues. Furthermore, the government earns a moderately positive performance score for its handling of the issue.

From the perspective of the Harper government, the bad news is that some panellists are beginning to see the Flaherty income trust taxation policy as a potential threat to Canadian ownership and control of the oil and gas industry.

These are the key findings from the past week’s web survey of the COMPAS CEO and business leader panel undertaken for The Financial Post under sponsorship of BDO Dunwoody LLP.

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