The Canada Revenue Agency (“CRA”) has announced additional tax relief measures as part of its response to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. These measures are summarized below.
Administrative Tax Measures
The new measures extend various filing deadlines under the Income Tax…
On March 18, 2020, the Department of Finance announced the COVID-19 Economic Response Plan (“the COVID-19 ERP”) designed to help Canadians facing hardship as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.
This post focuses on the tax-related measures contained in the…
The SCC decision in Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration) v Vavilov (2019 SCC 65) (“Vavilov”) and its companion case Bell Canada v. Canada (Attorney General) (2019 SCC 66) established a new framework that Courts must follow when reviewing decisions…
In Budget 2019, the federal government continues to bolster its tools and resources to detect and prosecute tax evasion and money laundering. These proposals are relevant both to those who do not pay the amount of tax the law requires,…
The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) recently announced that, through a consultation process, it is examining the use and, more particularly, what it says are occasions of misuse of claims of solicitor-client privilege. The Consultation is interesting but, it also provides…
The recent Federal Court decision in Canada (National Revenue) v. Hydro-Québec, 2018 FC 622 made a strong statement against an interpretation of the CRA’s powers that would allow virtually unlimited invasions of taxpayer privacy. The decision considered the scope of…
The meteoric rise, and subsequent tailspin, in the price of bitcoin has incited rampant investment in cryptocurrencies. Over 1,400 coins or tokens are now in “circulation”. Often lost in the resplendence and chicness of buying and selling cryptocurrencies are the…
Under the provisions of the Income Tax Act (the “ITA”), the CRA is authorized to inspect a taxpayer’s books and records and to require taxpayers to provide information and documents in the course of an income tax audit. However, the…
I last wrote about the decision in BP Canada Energy Company v. Canada (National Revenue), 2017 FCA 61 on April 10, 2017. In that decision the Court imposed important restrictions upon the use of the s.231.1(1) audit powers by…
The Income Tax Act provides CRA with broad powers of administration and enforcement. In BP Energy Company v. Minister of National Revenue, 2017 FCA 61, the appeal court considered the authority to conduct the inspection of books and records given…