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CRA’s Offshore Tax Informant Program

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The Program

Over the past year the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has implemented an ‘Offshore Tax Informant Program’ in hopes of fight international tax evasion. The CRA promises to compensate individuals who help catch tax evaders.

Program Success 

The Financial Post has reported  that this program has generated over 1,000 calls and has led to over 100 active cases. The success of this program banks on the CRA actually putting forth resources to investigate these cases which can take number of years.

Why Now?

Programs like this have been around for number of years,  the Internal Revenue Agency (IRS)  in the United States has had a similar programs since 2006. Other agencies such as the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) have similar programs as well. It was just a matter of time before the CRA followed suit.

With falling tax revenues and increasing deficits the governments are scrambling to find a solution. These program have been launched in hopes of  ensuring public confidence in the tax system and to increase tax revenues.

At the beginning of April 2013 the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) released a report which indicated the issue of world tax evasion and included names of 450 Canadians. In the months following Gail Shea the National Revenue Minister committed $30 Million to find tax evaders. The report by ICIJ help shed the light on how much money was actually being stored offshore. Other governments around the world are also taking note of this problem.

In the Future

However despite having knowledge of the individuals that hold off shore bank accounts the CRA has yet to prosecute anyone. The investigations will be time consuming and complex, it could be years before we see any cases in court.

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Capital Gains vs Business Income

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Capital Gain vs. Business Income

Capital Gains vs. Business Income

Capital Gains vs Business Income

As indicated in our previous articles, the housing market in Canada has attracted many investors. This has allowed real estate investors to make a quick profit. The popularity has also been fueled by the preferred tax treatment on capital gains. In Canada only 50% of the capital gain is taxable at your marginal tax rate.This has allowed taxpayers to shelter large portion of their income from the tax man. However, you should be aware that not all income qualifies as a capital gain. It could be taxed as business income, in which case 100% of the amount is subject to tax.

For example, to determine if the rental income qualifies as a capital gain or business income the following Six factors are considered as cited in Ayala v. The Queen:

  1. The nature of the property sold;
  2. The length of time the taxpayer was in possession as owner of the property;
  3. The frequency and number of operations carried out by the taxpayer;
  4. The improvements made by the taxpayer to the property;
  5. The circumstances surrounding the sale of the property; and
  6. The taxpayer’s intention at the time the property was acquired, as indicated by the taxpayer’s actions.

In the case of Montreal tax payer who sold six of her real estate properties and reported the income as a capital gain, her appeal was denied and income was assessed as business income. The judge in this case concluded that the Montreal taxpayer was probably and likely had acquired the properties “for the purpose of reselling them at a profit at the earliest opportunity rather than considering them as long‑term investments.” The taxpayers appeal was denied and her income assessed as business income forcing her to pay tax on 100% of the sale proceeds.

These rulings will impact many different business and industries. It is critical taxpayers seek adequate legal and tax advise when making decisions.

Capital Losses vs Business Losses 

When it comes to capital losses vs business losses the opposite is also true. A capital loss can only be applied to reduce a capital gain. However, a business loss has more flexibility and it can be applied to reduce a capital gain or other income. Read our article on capital losses vs business losses to gain more insight.

Capital Losses vs. Business Losses

SDVC LLP – Chartered Professional Accountants  is an accounting firm located in Mississauga, Ontario. Serving the needs of Small Business Owners & Entrepreneurs. Contact us for Tax Help, Personal Tax, Corporate Tax, Year End Financials, Review Engagements, Audit Engagements, Accounting & Estate Taxes.

CRA Audit & Objections

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CRA Audit & Objections

CRA Audit & Objections

  CRA Audit & Objections

Challenge the CRA / Dealing with the CRA? Here’s what you need to know.

Every year the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) audits thousands of small and medium size businesses and issues notices of reassessments.  Many times the result of these reassessments requires these businesses to pay up to thousands and sometimes millions in tax, interest and penalties.

Is there a chance that these CRA reassessments can be wrong? Yes! It is absolutely critical that business owners are prepared to challenge incorrect reassessments. Handling reassessments improperly can have serious financial implications for your business.

Here are five things that you should be aware of when you receive the CRA’s notices of reassessment:

  1. The CRA isn’t always right. Notices of reassessments and tax disputes are not necessarily an indication that the taxpayer, or the accountant, has done something wrong. If you feel the CRA has it wrong, as a taxpayer you have the right to challenge the CRA’s interpretation and application of the facts and law to ensure you are not paying more than you have to.
  2. Act on time. You must file a notice of objection to dispute a notice of reassessment. Generally, you must file a notice of objection within 90-days of the date that the CRA mailed the notice of reassessment. If you do not deliver a proper notice of objection within the 90-day period, you may apply for an extension of time to object. The CRA will consider applications for an extension of time to object if the application meets all relevant conditions and if it is filed within one year of the 90-day period. However, the CRA may deny your application for an extension of time and, therefore, it important to file a proper notice of objection within the 90-day period.
  3. The onus is on you. The normal reassessment period is three years for individual taxpayers and four years for corporate taxpayers. If the CRA issues a notice of (re)assessment within the normal reassessment period, the onus is on you to prove that the assessment is wrong in fact and law. You should be prepared to present factual and legal support for your position that the reassessment is wrong. If the CRA issues a notice of reassessment outside the normal reassessment period, taxpayers should understand the impact of this shift in the burden of proof. This is an opportunity to take advantage of the shift and make strategic decisions.
  4. Know what you are talking about. In addition to knowledge of the relevant legislation, the tax dispute process is governed by the case law, rules of procedure, the onus of proof, the standard of proof and the rules of evidence. In our experience, the party with the greater understanding of the legislation, case law and rules often has a significant advantage.
  5. Contact the right people for help.Clients often struggle to research and retain the right tax accountant and tax lawyer. We recommend that clients take the time to understand their options and speak to competent tax professionals.

This is an example where the CRA made a mistake and resulted in Mr. Irvin Leroux losing millions of dollars.

It was a million-dollar mistake that turned in to a 13-year battle. A British Columbia man lost almost everything in a tax battle with the Canada Revenue Agency. The CRA admits they were wrong, but now refuses to repay his money. His original documents were shredded by the CRA auditor.

The judge found that the auditors owed Mr. Leroux a duty of care and that they breached it in the manner in which they imposed penalties. However, the judge concluded that she was unable to find a causative link between that breach and Mr. Leroux’s losses.

Mr. Leroux had a legitimate position to put forward in saying that if the assessments had been done correctly in the first place, he might have been able to handle all the other problems he had.

The full case can be found here.

Contact SDVC LLP Chartered Accountants for all your CRA review and audit needs. Our team of tax accountants can professionally handle your file.

GST/HST Rates Across Canada

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Canadian Provincial Tax Map 2015

GST HST Rates Across Canada

 GST/HST Rates Across Canada

With eCommerce more and more businesses are selling goods and services across Canada. This has resulted in confusion on which sales tax rates apply. Majority of Canadian businesses must collect sales taxes from customers and remit them to the government. Depending on the province your business operates in, the rates are different.

Based on the province or territory in which your business operates in, you need to collect either:

  • A combination of GST and PST
  • GST only
  • HST

 What sales tax should I charge my customer in another province?

Generally speaking the sale tax you charge your customer depends on where the supply of the goods or services is made. If a business in Alberta sends products to a business in Ontario, the place of supply is Ontario and you will be charging your customer the HST at the rate for Ontario.

GST/HST sales tax rates that apply in Canada by province:

Province Type PST GST HST Total Tax Rate
(%) (%) (%) (%)
Alberta GST 5 5
British Columbia GST+PST 7 5 12
Manitoba GST+PST 8 5 13
New Brunswick HST 13 13
Newfoundland and Labrador HST 13 13
Northwest Territories GST 5 5
Nova Scotia HST 15 15
Nunavut GST 5 5
Ontario HST 13 13
Prince Edward Island HST 14 14
Quebec GST+QST *9.975 5 14.975
Saskatchewan GST+PST 5 5 10
Yukon GST 5 5

 

 

What sales tax should I charge my customer in another Country?

If you sell good outside of Canada this is considered a zero-rated supply and you do not charge your customers GST or HST. However, if the goods are picked up from Canada then the supply is made in Canada and you are required to charge GST/HST depending on your respective province.

How to calculate GST/HST?

Example 1: In Alberta, where only GST applies and you sold a $100 item.

Retail price: $100
GST (5%): $5
Total: $105

Example 2: In Ontario, where HST applies and you sold a $100 item.

Retail price: $100
HST (13%): $13
Total: $113

Example 3: In Manitoba and Saskatchewan, PST, like GST, is calculated on the retail price only. The two taxes are then added to the retail price for your total. For example, in Manitoba:

Retail price: $100
GST (5%): $5
PST (7%): $7
Total: $112

 Visit the CRA website for more information