SimpsonWigle Law LLP Tax News

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”. (more…)

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.

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 of aggressive plans or face penalties. The measures would also impose civil penalties on advisers if they provide advice on an undisclosed transaction to which the GAAR applies. For more information, see PWC’s Tax News Network page.