Alexander Marino is quoted in The Guardian article:“‘I don’t want to be part of a dictatorship’: the Americans queueing up to renounce their citizenship”, April 28, 2026.
Alexander Marino was a guest on the “This is Ottawa” CBC podcast episode titled ‘I feel alienated from my U.S. identity’ on March 23, 2026.
Alexander Marino was interviewed for the CBC news story “Dual citizens weigh Trump, taxes in decision to renounce US citizenship” on March 23, 2026.
Kim GC Moody was a guest on The Current with Matt Galloway on CBC Radio, on September 22, 2025 discussing “Why can’t you get a CRA agent on the line?”
Alexander Marino appeared on CONNECT With Sarah Crosbie on Corus Radio on September 16, 2025, to discuss “Are YOU an Accidental American?”
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Some short answers / rebuttals to common tax myths
The study and practice of tax is tough. I have said it before and I’ll say it again, I believe that tax is one of the most difficult areas of practice in existence.
A mild RRSP season – Except for the advantage rules
RRSPs are an extremely popular investment vehicle for Canadians. With the mild weather, it may be easy to forget it is February and the RRSP deadline is February 29th. (The deadline is usually March 1, but with 2012 being a leap year it will be the last day of February.) This RRSP season, taxpayers and their advisors should be aware of a change in the RRSP rules enacted as a result of the 2011 Federal Budget. These new “advantage rules” target tax avoidance schemes and other structures that most taxpayers would not be involved in, but these rules also set a trap for the unwary. If the advantage rules apply, the Canada Revenue Agency (“CRA”) may impose a penalty tax of 100%. In general terms, this 100% tax is on the amount of the “advantage”, which may be the entire value of the investment.
Filing on the basis of proposed tax legislation
This is not a new topic. However, it is one that we deal with time and time again… especially in recent years.
The top 5 tax mistakes made by private client Canadian practitioners
Firstly, this is my list not yours. It is very subjective and is a reflection of my many years of experience of being a tax specialist and building a “tax only” advisory practice. Most of the practitioners that are clients and friends of our firm know their tax limitations. However, there are other practitioners whose work we often trip across that do not know their limitations. The simple fact is that tax is tough. I would venture to say that it is one of the most challenging professions in existence. Unfortunately, there is no tax specialist designation in Canada to help the public identify professionals who have credible knowledge and experience in tax. I’m hopeful that will change soon.
Copthorne Holdings: A nasty holiday gift for taxpayers from the Supreme Court of Canada
Copthorne Holdings Ltd. v. Canada, 2011 SCC 63 (CanLII) is a recent decision from the Supreme Court of Canada regarding the general anti-avoidance rule (“GAAR”)[1] and provides the much-anticipated interpretation and confirmation of these rules. While the “main event” was whether the transactions undertaken by the taxpayer resulted in abusive tax avoidance to which the GAAR applies, this blog focuses on the Court’s analysis of the meaning of “series of transactions”. The “series of transactions” concept was critical to the outcome of this appeal. The Court provided guidance on how past, present and future transactions are “contemplated”, thereby confirming the framework by which a “series of transactions” would be identified for the application of the GAAR.
Should tax preparers be registered in Canada?
In the tax profession, there are a number of issues that bug me. For example, the absence of a tax specialist designation in Canada to help the public distinguish between non-tax specialists and tax specialists bugs me. I first wrote about this issue in our July 11, 2011 blog. The fact is that I’ve held this view for well over a decade … it’s important to ensure that the public is better served.
Alexander Marino is quoted in The Guardian article:“‘I don’t want to be part of a dictatorship’: the Americans queueing up to renounce their citizenship”, April 28, 2026.
Alexander Marino was a guest on the “This is Ottawa” CBC podcast episode titled ‘I feel alienated from my U.S. identity’ on March 23, 2026.
Alexander Marino was interviewed for the CBC news story “Dual citizens weigh Trump, taxes in decision to renounce US citizenship” on March 23, 2026.
Kim GC Moody was a guest on The Current with Matt Galloway on CBC Radio, on September 22, 2025 discussing “Why can’t you get a CRA agent on the line?”
Alexander Marino appeared on CONNECT With Sarah Crosbie on Corus Radio on September 16, 2025, to discuss “Are YOU an Accidental American?”
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