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Income tax — companies were not carrying on Personal Services Business

My client was a computer software specialist. She carried on business through a company. Her company was retained by a computer contracting company, which resupplied her services to a major corporation. She worked at the same corporation for an extended period.

The CRA reassessed my client's company on the basis that it carried on a "Personal Services Business" — specifically, that the relationship between my client and the computer contracting company (if her company were ignored) was one of employee to employer, rather than that of independent contractor.

My client was referred to me by her accountant. I prepared a lengthy Notice of Objection which analyzed the facts of the case in detail, supported by extensive documentary evidence, accounting and contractual records, and affidavits from several individuals. I demonstrated that, based on the criteria applied by the Courts in previous case law, the relationship between my client and the contracting company was that of independent contractor. This required detailed analysis of numerous criteria, as well as a careful presentation of all the facts.

The CRA appeals officer who reviewed the file agreed with my submissions, and cancelled the reassessments.

While the process was underway, my client referred me to three other subcontractors of the same computer consulting company. Each one of their companies had been reassessed on the same basis. In each case, the facts were different. For example, each business had a different history of how many past clients it had worked at before the current one, how many other clients it serviced during the audit period, how much the owner was able to control where he or she worked, how much he or she actually worked at their home office, and what equipment the client provided for their use.

I prepared Notices of Objection for each of the other three clients, organizing and presenting all the facts, interviewing individuals with knowledge of my clients' operations, and drafting affidavits so as to be able to submit sworn testimony to the CRA.

Each Notice of Objection went to a different CRA office, so in all, four different Appeals Officers reviewed the files. Each one of the four was convinced by my documentation and analysis. All four reassessments were cancelled.

Collectively, I saved the four clients' companies over a million dollars in taxes and interest.

Problem vanished!

(2005)