A new brief by the Canadian Counsel of Chief Executives (formerly the Business Council on National Issues, Tom D’Aquino, CEO) got some press coverage last month for proposals like transferring the GST and the health-care bill to the provinces.

There was not so much attention to another proposal in the report: that Canada should abolish taxes on income from intellectual property. Maybe the CEOs are thinking of Big Pharma drug patents and all, but the report specifically notes the benefits the national economy would gain from encouraging artistic and creative work and making Canada a haven for creative minds.

Sure is a sharp contrast with the thinking of the Canadian Ministers of Education, who seem mostly focussed on how they can get intellectual property for free. In fact, in discussing education as another wellspring of Canadian productivity, the CEOs note with concern such “inconsistent attitudes to intellectual property” as a problem to overcome in that sector.

Report title is “From Bronze to Gold” It’s downloadable at www.ceocouncil.ca.