You bet they do! This blog will follow some of the recent enforcement actions that CRA has been involved with to illustrate the old adage that “people will try anything”. As the Canadian tax system is based on self-assessment, the CRA does undertake regular review of tax returns to monitor compliance with tax laws.
Recent statistics released by CRA demonstrate how much enforcement activity is undertaken in a given year. For the 2008-2009 period the CRA undertook 374,000 audits or reviews in Canada and demanded 787,000 tax returns from individuals and corporations who had failed to report their income by filing a return, generating $2.3 billion dollars. Don’t be a late or non-filer. The odds are against you and it will cost much more in the long run. If you don’t have the cash to pay your current tax liabilities consider lower cost alternatives such as arranging a line of credit. In some cases CRA will also negotiate extended payment terms for taxes due so long as you report in good faith. If you need help to sort out your situation this is preferable to getting further and further behind. Fees you pay to an accountant for assistance may also be tax deductible to you in the year they are paid, lessening the “pain” behind this expense. See the whole article here:
http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/nwsrm/rlss/2010/m05/nr100520-eng.html
Phony donations – April, 2010 – Three people in Victoria have been charged with selling inflated donation receipts at 10-17% of their face value to a total alleged value of $7.6 million in the name of a former registered charity. More than 450 people allegedly purchased receipts. This type of fraud is particulalry worrisome as it undermines the position of genuine charitable organizations that rely on donations to keep their services available for the community.
CRA has launched “Project Trident” in an effort to crack down on these types of charitable frauds. To read more please see the news release at http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/nwsrm/cnvctns/bc/bc100408-eng.html
As the CRA points out it is always possible for taxpayers to avoid facing charges themselves by using the voluntary disclosure program, so long as enforcement action has not already been initiated.
Unreported income – Tax evasion – May, 2010 – A Victoria businessman has been convicted and fined for tax evasion as a result of failing to report income from rental properties and laundry services. The result is a fine of $40,000 in addition to back taxes and interest of $74, 150 and six months community service. You can see the full story here: http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/nwsrm/cnvctns/bc/bc100527-eng.html
Pianist Tax fraud – March, 2010 – A Richmond based pianist was recently fined $43,468 and given an 18 month sentence for various fraudulent claims including failure to report rental income, failure to report performance income and for claiming credits for his overseas parents as dependents http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/nwsrm/cnvctns/bc/bc100322-eng.html
In addition to the fine and additional sentencing, the taxpayer must also repay the entire amount of tax due plus interest.
Garlic Rose Cafe conviction – June, 2010 – A Victoria business man has been convicted of tax evasion and fined $497,730 for taxes and GST not reported. The court found that the owner had not reported $829,134 in revenue from morning and afternoon shifts and instead deposited the monies received in personal bank accounts. A conditional sentence of 24 months less a day was also handed down. The full news release is available here: http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/nwsrm/cnvctns/bc/bc100611-eng.html