Aggressive tax planning

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) recognizes that you are entitled to arrange your affairs as provided for under the law to reduce your tax liability and to receive the benefits to which you are entitled. However, aggressively pushing the limits creates a risk of crossing the line, the line between acceptable tax planning and what is considered aggressive or abusive tax planning.

Aggressive tax planning arrangements often have some legal basis in a very technical sense, but they go beyond what Parliament intended when the law was passed. In general, aggressive tax planning arrangements are made for the primary purpose of avoiding the payment of the required taxes, and thus could be in violation of the law.

In these pages, Tax avoidance and Tax shelters, you will find information about tax shelters, tax havens, and other domestic and international aggressive tax planning issues. These will help you recognize and avoid aggressive tax planning schemes where you could end up paying significant penalties, interest, and taxes, and lose your capital.

If it sounds too good to be true, or whenever you are dealing with a situation that is out of the ordinary for you, you might want to consult with a trusted and knowledgeable tax advisor who will explain to you the risks and consequences of various tax planning arrangements.

Visit this site regularly to make sure you have the most up-to-date information available from the CRA.