On October 23, 2013, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and European Commission President José Manual Barroso signed an agreement-in-principle relating to the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (“CETA”). This agreement provides for the removal of nearly all customs duties and tariffs…
This past Tuesday, April 1, 2014, marked the one-year anniversary of the new PST and the kick-off of audit season under BC’s Provincial Sales Tax Act (PSTA). Businesses have reason for concern: despite significant confusion surrounding the implementation of the…
The decision in Fio Corporation v. The Queen, 2014 TCC 58 is an interesting and recent example in which the Minister’s attempt to gain exemption from well-established and long standing rules of litigation was met with censure from the court.…
On March 20, 2014 the Supreme Court of Canada granted leave to appeal in the case of Guindon v. The Queen. If one had been listening closely on that Thursday morning, it is likely that one could have heard both…
British Columbia practitioners were shocked by paragraph 85(1)(f) of the Family Law Act (British Columbia), which was brought into force on March 18, 2013, because it effectively presumes that property held by a discretionary trust is 100% owned by a…
Earlier this month, the federal government announced that it had reached an agreement with the U.S. to ameliorate the more drastic effects of the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA). The announcement came mere days before the 2014 Federal Budget…
On February 11, 2014, the Minister of Finance released the federal government’s 2014 Budget. The Budget continued last year’s theme of “closing tax loopholes” and “improving the fairness and integrity of the tax system,” and to that end proposed a…
In the recent decision of Nottawasaga Inn. Ltd. v. R. (2014 DTC 1021), the Tax Court of Canada (“TCC”) held that it had no jurisdiction to hear an appeal from a reassessment of arrears interest where there exists a nil…
At the age of 19, Eugenie Bouchard made all Canadians proud with her stellar performance at the 2014 Australian Open. Behind the tennis star is more than a decade’s training paid for by her father. Mr. Bouchard thought he found…
On January 9, 2014, the Government of Canada released for public comment draft legislative proposals that – if enacted – will require the reporting of international electronic funds transfers of $10,000 or more to the Canada Revenue Agency effective as…