Neal Armstrong has a good summary of the government’s response to the Sixth Report of the Standing Committee on Finance. It looks like changes are coming to the VDP. Neal Armstrong also has a mischievous sense of humour. He writes…
Tax simplification
John Manley, speaking at the Canadian Tax Foundation‘s national conference yesterday, made the case for tax simplification. To which I say “Hah!” I’m just waiting for the “My grandfather was a Greek immigrant who ran a restaurant in North Bay…
Fighting tax avoidance
This BBC story on fighting tax avoidance by multinationals is rather short on substance. No doubt the Devil will be in the details.
Tax Court class actions?
“Government Invites Comments on Proposals to Improve the Caseload Management of the Tax Court of Canada”. From the Finance press release:
Privilege
The Minister of Finance has apparently responded positively to submissions from the Canadian Bar Association on the effect of the new reporting regime for tax avoidance transactions on solicitor-client privilege. In a letter to the Association dated January 11, 2011,…
Proceeds of Crime
The following article appeared in a recent edition of the Hamilton Law Association Law Journal.
The police execute a search at your client’s house. They find pot plants and a large amount of cash. They seize the cash and charge your client with trafficking, and he is later convicted of that crime.
Justice
It’s hard educating clients about the tax system and what they’re up against when disputing assessments. Clients will often complain not just about the assessments they are fighting but the attitude of the auditor, the delays caused by the CRA and the unfairness inherent in a tax system that only a very few understand really well. The taxpayers in Lauger v. The Queen, 2007 TCC 650, brought these complaints to Tax Court with them and asked the Court to do the Right Thing. To which the Court, in dismissing the appeals, responded “I must decide whether the assessments are well-founded or not”.
Harmony
Harmony sounds like something we should all want, even when it comes to taxes. Be that as it may, the Ontario government has created a webpage that discusses the harmonization of its PST with the federal GST.
Fighting Aggression
PWC sends a tax bulletin to me from time to time, and its latest email contains information about Quebec’s plans to introduce measures to combat ‘aggressive’ tax planning. Apparently, the measures, if enacted, would require taxpayers to disclose the details…