Publications

Quick Thoughts on 2010 Budget

On March 4, 2010, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty released the 2010 Budget. Unlike previous years, this year’s budget did not contain major changes like the…

Deadlines to Appeal Tax Matters

The appeal process for income tax and GST matters begin with a notice of objection. A notice of objection filed by a taxpayer states that…

Mafia Leader Pleads Guilty to Tax Evasion

On February 11, 2010, Nicolo Rizzuto pleaded guilty to an unreported number of charges of tax evasion. Mr. Rizzuto is reportedly the head of a Montreal Mafia…

Buying Bank Secrecy

According to the German Finance Minister, Germany is prepared to purchase stolen data containing information in relation to Swiss bank accounts. Other European countries, including the…

CRA Seeking Names from Bank of Nova Scotia

Further to its quest to find taxpayers with offshore accounts, CRA has filed an application in the Federal Court seeking names of investors to a British…

Ottawa to Combat Losses on Income Trusts

According to a report in the January 27, 2010 National Post, income trusts have been merging with corporations that have tax losses as a means of…

CRA May Sue UBS

According to a report in the January 7, 2009 edition of the Toronto Star, Canada is in the process of negotiating with Swiss Bank UBS regarding…

UBS Off-Shore Accounts on 60 Minutes

On January 3, 2010, 60 Minutes did a piece on the whistle-blower who tipped off the IRS to the off-shore bank accounts held by Swiss Bank UBS….

Class Action Certified

Taxpayers who donated to the Banyan Tree Foundation Gift Program between 2003 and 2007 have had their class action certified; in Ontario, for a class…

British Tax Protest is Risky Business

British singer Billy Bragg has threatened to stop paying his taxes unless the British government places limits on the amount of bonuses that top executives can…

CRA to Relax VDP Rules

On July 15, 2010, the Globe and Mail published an article regarding a possible relaxing of CRA’s Voluntary Disclosure Program (VDP) guidelines. Currently, in order to…

CRA Releases Stats

On January 11, 2010, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) released statistics regarding their activities to catch taxpayers who haven’t filed income tax returns or those who…