Unveiling the CRA Leads Program: Reporting Tax and Benefit Cheats
CRA’s Initiatives: Leads Program
The CRA’s Leads Program enables individuals to report businesses, charities or individuals of tax or benefit cheating in Canada.
Examples of domestic tax cheating includes:
- A Canadian business or individual who fails to declare all of their income or who makes false expense claims.
- A Canadian taxpayer who falsely claimed tax benefits and credits, or received the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) or Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB) despite being ineligible.
Information Required for the CRA Leads Program
The following information is required to be provided by the informant:
- Essential identification details of the tax evader (e.g., their full name/business name and address/business address)
- Facts related to the suspected evasion (e.g., the reasons for their belief and the duration and dates of the suspected evasion)
- Supporting documentation and evidence (e.g., emails, texts, social media, invoices and financial statements)
In reporting abuse of the CERB, CRB, the Canada Emergency Student Benefits (CESB), or the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS), the CRA requires certain other information such as the employment or educational status of the alleged violator.
Upon receipt of the submission, the CRA will undertake a thorough process that includes:
- Verifying the identity of the individual or entity under investigation;
- Carefully evaluating the evidence provided to determine if tax fraud has taken place; and
- Determining the best course of action to take regarding the individual or entity under investigation
If you or your business are facing any challenges with the Canada Revenue Agency, including an audit or allegations of tax evasion or aggressive tax avoidance, book your free consultation or contact us.
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By Kaveh Rezaei – Attorney at KR Law Firm
**Disclaimer
This article contains information of a general nature only and does not constitute legal advice. All legal matters have their own specific and unique facts and will differ from each other. If you have a specific legal question, it may be appropriate to seek the services of a lawyer.
