Tag: CRA

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VAUGHAN DEBT COUNSELLING ADVISES BEWARE OF TAX SEASON SCAMS

Vaughan debt counselling, Vaughan, debt, debt counselling, trustee, receiver, bankruptcy, Canada Revenue Agency, CRA, tax scams, email scams, phone scams, starting over starting nowWhen we perform Vaughan debt counselling, we always advise that there is no miracle cure or quick fix when you owe money to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). For a real life example, see our discussion in an earlier blog The Tax Lawyer; Even A High Profile Tax Fighting Lawyer Has To Pay His Income Tax. Unfortunately there is more to worry about than the CRA during tax season. There are scam artists out there just waiting to take your money. Through our Vaughan debt counselling, Ira Smith Trustee & Receiver Inc., we are able to provide some valuable information and advice to help protect you from the villainous forces lurking at the other end of a phone call or email transmission.

In fact, it was through our Vaughan debt counselling that we learned of these scams. Scammers are sending emails and making phone calls, claiming to be the CRA. These communications, asking for information including credit card data, bank account numbers and passwords and passport numbers are designed to steal your identity and/or your money. Email scams frequently contain embedded malicious software that can harm your computer and put your personal information at risk. DO NOT click on any of the links in the emails. Typically an email or telephone scam involves one of these two scenarios.

  1. You have a refund pending from CRA and the communications will go on to instruct the receiver to provide personal information in order to receive the benefit.
  2. You or your company, as a result of an audit, owe “back taxes”. You are advised you have to “pay up” ASAP to avoid a fine or the person is told there is an outstanding arrest warrant which can be avoided if the tax payment is made promptly. In many cases individuals are being told they will be deported if the taxes are not paid right away.

These types of communication are not from the CRA, should be ignored and reported to the RCMP or Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or http://www.antifraudcentre.ca.

The CRA:

  • NEVER requests information from a taxpayer about a passport, health card or driver’s license.
  • NEVER divulges taxpayer information to another person unless formal authorization is provided by the taxpayer.
  • NEVER leaves any personal information on an answering machine or asks taxpayers to leave a message with their personal information on an answering machine.

If you find yourself in financial difficulties as a result of a scam or for any other reason contact Ira Smith Trustee & Receiver Inc. We serve the GTA through our Vaughan debt counselling and our other services that are bankruptcy alternatives. We can help get you back on the road to solid financial footing Starting Over, Starting Now. Watch for our next blog when we’ll be discussing the dangers of taking free tax advice.

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THE TAX LAWYER; EVEN A HIGH PROFILE TAX FIGHTING LAWYER HAS TO PAY HIS INCOME TAX

: the tax lawyer, debt, Canada Revenue Agency, CRA, Starting over starting now, DioGuardi, Phillipe DioGuardi, Paul DioGuardi, DioGuardiNothing is certain except death and taxes.

Benjamin Franklin
The tax lawyer learned another certainty that the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) will get what’s coming to them even if your name is Philippe DioGuardi and you have a radio advertising campaign with slogans that include:

  • “I don’t cheat, I change the game.”
  • “Tax problems end here.”

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Philippe DioGuardi, he is the tax lawyer who has been bombarding the radio airwaves with spots that represent him as a one man crusader against the unfair tactics of the CRA. A recent Toronto Star investigation revealed some shocking information regarding the tax lawyer Philippe DioGuardi’s own tax problems with the CRA. Some of these startling revelations include:

  • He over-drew $2 million from the law firm he co-owns with his father Paul.
  • Ontario’s legal regulator is investigating nine complaints against him.
  • The tax lawyer only recently settled his own $147,000 debt to the CRA.
  • His estranged DioGuardi wife Elena wants spousal support of $25,000 a month.

By 2012 Philippe’s overspending was out of control. His father Paul was left with no alternative but to come out of retirement and take control of the law firm. In order to prevent Philippe from continuing to over-draw from the firm’s bank account, Paul changed the signing authorities and put the tax lawyer on a strict budget.

Philippe DioGuardi’s story sounds like a bad reality television program. The tax lawyer blames many of his financial problems to his estranged wife’s (who he’s been describing as a Russian mail-order bride) spending habits and his financial commitments to his 3 children from a previous marriage. All of the dirty laundry is being aired in public and financial documents submitted by the tax lawyer in the divorce action show that:

  • Between the years 2009 and 2012, the firm had annual revenues of about $6 million, and spent about $2 million a year on advertising and marketing.
  • As of 2012, Philippe DioGuardi owed the CRA more than $140,000, including $58,000 in unpaid taxes from 2011.
  • By 2013, the CRA was trying to get a response from DioGuardi, with no luck.
  • The arrears were paid off in full over time, through an arrangement the tax lawyer negotiated with the CRA.

The reality is that even a high profile tax fighting lawyer has to pay his income tax. There is no miracle cure or quick fix when you owe money to the CRA. If you’re having serious financial difficulties and owe money to the CRA, contact Ira Smith Trustee & Receiver Inc. We don’t have a $2 million advertising campaign. Our philosophy is that corporate or personal financial problems can be solved given immediate action and the right plan so that Starting Over, Starting Now you can live a debt free life.

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CANADA REVENUE AGENCY SOCIAL MEDIA

Canada Revenue Agency, CRA, CRA audit, social media, social media sites, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, trustee, income tax debt, debt, trustee, starting over starting now, Canada revenue agency social media, receiverCanada Revenue Agency social media investigative staff review your latest photos and news on social media sites that you post to. Did you know that? If you do post to social media sites and you did not know that Canada Revenue Agency social media investigative staff may be looking at your postings, then you’re like most of the adults online.

Sharing everything from your marital status to what you’re eating at a restaurant on social media sites has become second nature. We have a great need to share, without giving it a second thought. According to Pew Internet Research, as of September 2013:

  • 71% of online adults use Facebook
  • 17% use Instagram
  • 21% use Pinterest
  • 22% use LinkedIn

You may think that participating in social media is a harmless activity and you may even post some white lies, but after all, the Internet encourages creativity. And, who could it hurt anyways? The answer is you! It’s not just your friends checking out your Facebook page, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) may be checking you out as well. The Canada Revenue Agency social media investigative staff use an audit technique called Indirect Verification of Income.

The CRA is on the lookout for folks living a high income life – big house, fancy cars, and exotic vacations – without reporting the income to sustain such a lifestyle. This kind of behaviour is a huge red flag for the CRA and you could be in for an audit. Rest assured that the CRA, including the Canada Revenue Agency social media investigative staff which is an increasingly important component of the investigation side, will leave no stone unturned in search of the unreported income.

We had an interesting file that demonstrated exactly how deep in trouble you many find yourself if you post everything on social media sites, and lie. A high income earner was trying through a Proposal to compromise $400K of his income tax debt (amongst others). Throughout his entire professional career he had photos of himself in front of yachts, mansions and fancy cars to show how successful he was. The only problem was that none of it was ever his. It took a year to convince the CRA that neither he nor his spouse ever owned such assets!! Ultimately we were successful in satisfying CRA’s concerns and the CRA voted in favour of his Proposal.

Before you post your life story on social media sites, ask yourself what the Canada Revenue Agency social media investigative staff will think if they crawl your pages.

If you’re having serious financial issues related to income tax debt or any other cause, contact Ira Smith Trustee & Receiver Inc. With a solid financial plan in place Starting Over, Starting Now you can free yourself of debt.

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CRA: TAX RETURN FILED BUT NO MONEY TO PAY?

proposal, income tax, income tax debt, tax debt, CRA, Canada Revenue Agency, trustee, trustees, tax lawyer, consumer proposal, bankruptcy, bankruptcy alternatives, taxes in CanadaWill CRA be looking for you? June 17TH was the deadline for self-employed individuals in Canada to file their 2013 income tax and benefit return. You filed your return on time to avoid a late-filing penalty on amounts owing, and gasped when you saw how much money you owe the CRA. How are you going to pay your tax bill? The CRA is not known as a charitable organization and they have the power to withhold HST/GST and child tax credits, seize money in your bank account and garnish your wages. To add insult to injury the CRA can also continue to charge penalties and interest on the money you owe until your debt is paid in full. You need a plan and you need one now.

I’m sure you’ve been bombarded by the scare tactic radio ads that are flooding the air waves by a prominent tax lawyer. He’d like you to believe that he and only he can deal with the CRA and solve your tax problem; but, that simply isn’t true. Trustees are experts in solving debt issues and what you need is a professional, licensed trustee. Your trustee will present you with bankruptcy alternatives, one of which is a consumer proposal.

What is a proposal? In a proposal your trustee will work with you to determine how much you can afford to pay each month. Your trustee will then negotiate with your creditors, including the CRA, for you to pay a portion of your unsecured debt over a maximum of 5 years at a monthly rate that is affordable to you. Over 66 2/3% of your creditors ($ value, in addition to a majority in number) have to agree to accept the proposal. If your total debt, including income tax debt, is less than $250,000, then you can consider a streamlined proposal process, which is called a consumer proposal.

Will the CRA agree to a consumer proposal? Recent statistics from the CRA estimate there is currently about $8 billion in unpaid taxes in Canada. The reason that consumer proposals are almost always accepted is that they produce a better rate of recovery on your debts than if you’d filed for bankruptcy. For your consumer proposal the CRA will require that:

  • all outstanding tax returns are filed with CRA before they will accept the proposal
  • you have sufficient income to meet the payments in the proposal
  • you agree to make installments on your current year taxes, so that you don’t fall behind again on your taxes

Are you a good candidate for a consumer proposal? If you’re a business owner with a good cash flow and after coming up with all the deductions possible to give to your accountant you still had a large profit leading to the surprise income tax debt, you’re are a good candidate for a consumer proposal. We can also let you know why negotiating a reduction in your debt through a consumer proposal is better than a bankruptcy.

Don’t let tax debt paralyze you! Contact Ira Smith Trustee & Receiver Inc. today. We’ll create a solid financial plan for you so that you can be Starting Over, Starting Now.

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TAX problems with the CRA? CONTACT A TRUSTEE!

prominent tax lawyer, Prominent tax lawyer accused of cheating clients, Paul DioGuardi , DioGuardi, Philippe DioGuardi, Tax problems, trustee, tax lawyer in CanadaAre you experiencing tax problems with the CRA? If you are burdened with serious debt and tax problems, the CRA may be only one of several creditors that you have to deal with. Although you may be bombarded with advertisements from tax lawyers trying to scare you into believing that you need a prominent tax lawyer in Canada to deal with CRA debt, consulting with a trustee may be a much better option for you. The CRA isn’t looking to prosecute you; they are looking to collect money and a trustee is usually your best option for dealing with debt.

Why use a licensed trustee instead of a tax lawyer? A licensed trustee can:

  • Provide you with a full financial appraisal of your situation, including your tax problems leading to CRA debt
  • Deal with all of your debts while a tax lawyer only deals with your CRA debt; the rest remains
  • Advise you on bankruptcy alternatives which include credit counselling, debt consolidation and consumer proposals in dealing with the tax problems and related debt
  • Provide immediate protection with a stay of proceedings by filing a consumer proposal or an assignment in bankruptcy
  • Advise what amounts are payable under the statute
  • Be less expensive than using a tax lawyer because in many cases the trustee doesn’t charge a fee over and above what the statute requires to be paid
  • Save you money because the actual amount required to settle may be higher than what debts could be settled for in a bankruptcy or consumer proposal
  • Offer you a free consultation while a tax lawyer requires a sizable retainer

There are a few cases in which you may want to consult a tax lawyer in Canada:

  • Your debts chiefly or only involve CRA
  • You are not insolvent
  • CRA has registered liens on your property (bankruptcy does not remove liens)
  • Communication between you and your tax lawyer is privileged; a trustee must seek and make full disclosure
  • You can avoid a bankruptcy filing and use the “open kimono” on all of your conduct and transactions
  • You are being prosecuted by the Department of Justice in relation to your tax reportings and therefore do require a lawyer

If you’re experiencing serious debt issues, including tax problems with the CRA, contact Ira Smith Trustee & Receiver Inc. for a no cost, no obligation consultation. Take the first step towards living a debt free life Starting Over, Starting now.

Call a Trustee Now!