In McMillian v. Her Majesty the Queen, the Federal Court of Appeal clarified the burden of proof in tax cases. We believed the decision was important and, in August 2012, we posted a blog article about the FCA’s decision. Recently, The Bottom Line (Canada’s Accounting and Finance Professionals newspaper) published an article on McMillian and asked for our reaction. We are flattered by the author’s decision to include our interpretation in the article entitled Court affirms onus of proof on taxpayer.
A CRA reassessment and dispute do not start from a neutral position. They shape the dispute, now and later. This article explains how the record develops and the impact on teh range of outcomes.
CRA reassessment and notice of objection. Large corporation regime. How a failure to define the dispute can stop an appeal early or narrow what can be argued later.
Filing a Notice of Objection places part of the dispute on the record before it is treated as final. That record shapes how the matter is assessed and what can still be changed.
Decisions made after a CRA reassessment form the dispute record before they are recognized as final. That record shapes what can be said, changed, and defended later.
A CRA reassessment sets out a position. It does not show what will determine the outcome. How it is interpreted, carried forward, and placed on the record defines what can still be changed.
A cross-border equipment rental led to a withholding tax reassessment under Part XIII. This case shows how much of the exposure can still be reduced when the structure holds.