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GST — services to insolvent companies were zero-rated

My client was the liquidator and receiver for a group of offshore companies that had gone into receivership in a large investment failure. In the course of winding up the companies, the liquidator had incurred millions of dollars of professional fees from lawyers and accountants, with GST of some $200,000 paid on those fees. Because the liquidator was resident in Canada, the lawyers and accountants had charged GST.

My client wanted to get this GST back if possible, but only in a way that was risk-free, since any refunds would be distributed to the insolvent companies' creditors and could not later be recovered from them.

I determined that the fees should have been zero-rated, because the liquidator was deemed by the GST legislation to operate as agent of the insolvent companies. Thus, the lawyers and accountants should not have charged GST on these fees, and the $200,000 was recoverable.

Rather than simply apply for a rebate, which would have left open the risk of a reassessment by the CRA to recover the rebate later, I applied for a ruling from the CRA that the fees were zero-rated. I set out in detail the conditions for a "rebate of tax paid in error", and showed that the rebate was available in this situation. I also applied for a rebate on behalf of the companies.

Five months later, the CRA issued the requested ruling, and followed that up with cheques to pay the rebates plus interest.

Problem solved!

(2008)