Insights

Analysis of how tax disputes form, evolve, and are decided.

Institute for Tax Controversy Studies

Research examining the structure and real-world performance of Canada’s tax dispute system. Explore → 

By the time the CRA issues the reassessment, the record is already taking shape. During the objection, the CRA will reinforce its interpretation of the facts and how they apply. That view appears in a...

Notice of Objection Failed to Define the Dispute | Some objection-stage failures are obvious. Others remain invisible and lead to the same result. (941624 Alberta Ltd. v. HMK)

Key Takeaways The reassessment shows the financial exposure. What moves forward depends on how the taxpayer frames the dispute in the Notice of Objection. In this case, the taxpayer’s Notice of Object...

Notice of Objection Window | What Carries Forward | What is placed on the objection record here is not neutral

A CRA Notice of Reassessment has been issued. The deadline to file a Notice of Objection is now active. Management is deciding how to respond. At this stage, management can still shape the response. T...

CRA Reassessment | What Happens Next - What appears to require action is visible. What will shape the outcome is not.

A CRA Notice of Reassessment sets out the Agency’s position and the amount now assessed. The immediate question is what happens next. Most teams treat what follows as a visible problem: the amount ass...

Executive Summary Companies that grow through leveraged acquisitions, refinancing strategies, or complex financing structures eventually encounter the same sequence: CRA audit, reassessment, and dispu...