Make sure you hire the right kind of tax expert to represent you in order to resolve your serious tax problems.
Tax Lawyer, Accountant or a Consultant?
A Tax Lawyer Is Not Always the Best Answer!
Maybe what you need is a seasoned “Street Smart" Tax Representative who can stick handle an agressive auditor.
Tax is a complicated business, and dealing with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) requires a combination of knowledge, experience and wisdom. Most of all you need a Tax Representative who has earned his stripes and medals of honor in the battle fields dealing with the Agents of Tax Doom.
When your financial wellbeing is at stake, you need to be sure you have the right help. You need a team of Pit Bulls.
Let’s look at the situation of what is needed to make sure that you are getting the best help you possibly can. Do you need an accountant, a lawyer, or some blend of expertise that manifests itself as a Tax Representative.
CRA agents are NOT bound by their word and will try everything in their power to trick and intimidate you. Be clear… they are often not following CRA’s own Taxpayers Bill of Rights or even Canada’s Charter of Rights.
There is no doubt in my mind; The CRA is on a path of aggressiveness in tax collecting, never seen before in this country. Understand that you are not dealing with a kinder gentler Canada; you are dealing with a heatless attack on the very fiber of your mind, heart and finances. CRA is relentless and they are showing no quarters.
It is usually a reckless move to try to deal with the CRA on your own. It takes years of experience to really get to know the ropes, and the average Canadian simply does not have a clue as to what they can expect from the unknown.
Most tax problems really don’t justify the cost of a lawyer. The vast majority of tax disputes are settled without going into Tax Court.
Client privilege is rarely of any relevance in the vast majority of cases and if it is going to be necessary your representative will let you know that it is necessary. But before making the lawyer decision, the facts have to come out in an audit trail.
When it comes to handling a tax problem, there is no better way of knowing exactly what the smallest details are then by doing forensic bookkeeping. Lawyers don’t do this service. It is not in their training. Usually lawyers get accountants to do this work. Once the accounting is done, the person who really knows the facts inside and out, then, turns the completed bookkeeping over to the lawyer.
Regardless of the circumstances, your experience with CRA is going to be dramatically affected by the quality of how your books and records are prepared and presented.
Usually audit ready books and records are all that is needed to put to rest a stressful CRA case. If the matter becomes one of criminal charges, then no doubt you will need a lawyer.
The lawyers focus on the law, but dealing with the tax department is more than just law. One cannot be an expert accountant without knowing tax law. Accountants have to learn tax law, lawyers don’t have to learn accounting. Think about that point carefully before spending a lot of money on a lawyer.
You don’t need a lawyer to do the Tax Amnesty Voluntary Disclosure program. Often it is not even a wise move to make a voluntary disclosure.
When dealing with auditors, filing Notices of Objection and Appeals to the Tax Court of Canada, it is more about predominant reasons, audit trails and the skills of your representative tax expert are what is going to make the definitive difference in your case.
A good accounting tax representative will do all the work for you and if a lawyer is going to be needed, they will be the first to recommend using a lawyer.
Going to the lawyer first can just be a waste of time. The best way to approach a lawyer is with a completely prepared set of Audit Ready Books and Records, done by your accountant. Doing this first and seeing the lawyer latter will save you a ton of unnecessary legal expenses.
Once presented with proper books and records, your tax lawyer can very quickly assess the situation and give you good legal advice based on a perfect set of books all summarized and in court ready format. You will need a lawyer if the case goes to formal court, but not if it is just informal court.
We work with lawyers; lawyers use our services to prepare audit ready books. Once we have done our job, the lawyers provide a very valuable service when it is really needed.
I can tell you that if a lawyer is really needed, then it is a hell of a good idea to have one. Just be sure that you really need one and the cost of legal fees is justified for your case.
Through years of experience in dealing with the tax department we have accumulated special knowledge and techniques that ensures that our clients get the best possible protection from CRA abuse. Knowing what we know, and having the right “stuff,” we fearlessly ensure that CRA respects the law and your rights.
As your authorized tax representative, we ensure that CRA does not step out of bounds, and we'll keep the CRA agents walking a straight line.
As your tax accountants, bookkeepers, consultants and pit bull representatives, we fight for what is rightfully yours.
A professional Tax Representative is your best value proposition. Be sure to call for a no obligation meeting with one of our tax problem specialists.
If this is an a tax audit emergency, call 1-905-668-4816 Now!
Dan White