Corporate Tax Planning

Uber Canada Reaches Settlement with the CRA in Sales-Tax Dispute

Earlier this year we blogged about a notice of appeal filed by Uber Canada Inc., the Canadian arm of Uber Technologies Inc., in which the company asked the Tax Court of Canada to vacate reassessments made against it by the CRA. Now, Uber Canada Inc. says that it has resolved their “administrative issue” with the CRA, consenting to a judgment on a without costs basis which would permit the company… Read More

Corporate Tax Planning

CRA Report: Canadian Companies Avoided Billions in Taxes

According to a report recently released by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), Canadian corporations avoided around $11 billion in corporate taxes in 2014 (between $2.7 billion and $3.5 billion for small companies, and between $6.7 billion and $7.9 billion for bigger companies). The report marks another measure in a series of actions taken by the CRA to look into tax avoidance by corporate and personal tax-payers in Canada, as we’ve previously written about. Read More

Corporate Tax Planning

The Taxpayer First Act: IRS Reform Legislation Passed by Senate

After initially being introduced more than a year ago, the Taxpayer First Act has been passed by the House and Senate. The legislation includes a variety of provisions intended to modernize the Internal Revenue Service across a wide range of critical areas including information technology, identity theft protection, and customer service. While it remains to be seen what happens next, it is widely believed that President Trump will sign the bill… Read More

Corporate Tax Planning

New Report Calls for Increased Regulation to Address Money-Laundering in Canada

This week, CBC News is reporting that lax regulations have made Canada a prime location for money laundering. These headlines come in the wake of a recent report issued by well-known policy think-tank C.D. Howe Institute titled “Why We Fail to Catch Money Launderers 99.9 percent of the Time” in which the Institute highlights ways in which Canada has been deficient in fighting money laundering. Why Money… Read More

Corporate Tax Planning

CRA Successful in Appeal of $1.7 Million Malicious Prosecution Case

We’ve previously blogged about a ground-breaking decision in which the B.C Supreme Court ordered the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) to pay more than $1 million in damages for the malicious prosecution of two British Columbia business owners who the agency had claimed had engaged in tax evasion. Since then, the CRA appealed that decision, and the B.C. Court of Appeal recently overturned it. Now, after more than a decade-long battle with… Read More

Corporate Tax Planning

Federal Budget 2019: How Will it Affect Taxes?

The Liberal government’s 2019 budget was tabled on March 19, 2019. In short, the budget seeks to support and build Canada’s middle class through: Making homeownership more affordable for first-time buyers;Helping workers gain new skills;Preparing young Canadian for good jobs;Helping Canadians with the cost of prescription drugs;Supporting low-income Canadian seniors who choose to remain in the workforce;Giving all Canadians access to high-speed internet;Lowering the cost of energy;Advancing reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples; andLowering taxes. Read More

Corporate Tax Planning

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and #metoo: Addressing Sexual Harassment in the Workplace Through Tax Reform

Last week, we blogged about the tax implications of Colin Kaepernick’s recent multi-million dollar settlement with the NFL. This week, we explore another aspect of legal settlement and tax: how settlements stemming from sexual harassment in the workplace (proliferating recently due to the massive #metoo movement) are being treated following recent tax reforms. #metoo and the Growing Awareness of Problematic Workplace Behaviours The #metoo movement exploded virally in October 2017, with millions of women… Read More

Corporate Tax Planning

Canada’s Biggest Loyalty Points Company Facing Significant Tax Reassessment

A Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) audit of Montreal based Aimia Inc. (Aimia) has concluded. Aimia, which is responsible for customer loyalty programs worldwide, may now be facing a large tax bill. Aimia – An Overview Aimia Inc. which describes itself as a “global data-driven marketing and loyalty analytics company” providing “clients with the customer insights they need to make smarter business decisions” and also “partner[ing] with companies to help generate, collect and… Read More

Corporate Tax Planning

CRA Continuing Investigations into Canadians Linked to Panama Papers and Paradise Papers

We have previously blogged about the Canada Revenue Agency’s (CRA’s) increased crackdowns on the use of offshore tax shelters. Previously, the CRA was focused primarily on Canadian taxpayers who had been implicated in the Panama Papers leak, including search warrants executed as a result of the leak as well as the first Canadian investigated as a result of the now infamous leak of financial information. Now, Canadian news sources are reporting that the… Read More

Corporate Tax Planning

New Year- New Federal Tax Changes in Canada

A new year brings with it new year’s resolutions, a fresh start, and, for Canadian taxpayers and small businesses: tax changes at the federal level. Below is a quick brief on what changes can be expected as we push into 2019. CPP and EI An increase in Canada Pension Plan premiums (CPP)- beginning in January, CPP contributions increase from 4.95% to 5.1% on earnings between $3,500-$57,400. This is the first year of five planned years… Read More