In Laliberté v R, 2018 TCC 186, the Tax Court considered whether the controlling shareholder of Cirque du Soleil had received a $38 million shareholder benefit for a trip he took to the International Space Station that was paid for by his corporation. The Court analyzed the facts in detail and concluded that the trip was primarily personal in nature (it was a trip the founder would have taken regardless of the business done during the trip). Nora Fien, “Shareholder Benefit for Space Trip” 8:4 Cdn Tax Focus (Nov 2018).
Update June 29, 2020: The Federal Court of Appeal dismissed the taxpayer’s appeal: Laliberté v Canada, 2020 FCA 97.
