The Opposition is suggesting that a two-year delay by Finance Minister Bill Morneau to report a company which owns a villa in France is an offense punishable by the Commons Ethics Commissioner. The CBC is saying that Mr. Morneau, a resident of Bennington Heights, revealed the firm called Mas des Morneau after it began to ask questions as to why it did not appear in the minister’s revealed holdings. Tax experts say there can be some advantages to holding real estate in France through a company such as Mas des Morneau, including avoiding inheritance tax. It is a legal and commonly used method but while Morneau has owned the company for a decade and was named finance minister two years ago, the company was only added to Morneau’s ethics filings on September 22. The villa is at the Town of Oppede about 60 km inland from Marseilles. CBC
