Minister of National Revenue, other officials headline 46th Annual Canadian Tax Conference: Region I Tax Conference.

• Author: Rasmussen, Jeffery R.
• Position: Conference notes

In opening the 46th Annual Canadian Tax Conference in Gatineau, Quebec, on May 7, 2012, David V. Daubaras, TEI's Vice President for Canadian Affairs, said the conference afforded attendees a wealth of technical sessions and networking events, including the reception and gala for government officials on Tuesday night. The technical sessions were book-ended by opening sessions on GST issues and income tax matters conducted by panelists from Canada Revenue Agency and closing sessions on GST and income tax matters discussed by officials from the Department of Finance.

In between, the Honourable Gail Shea, Minister of National Revenue, provided an update on administrative developments at CRA at the luncheon on May 8. A day earlier, the luncheon speaker was the Honourable Steven D'Arcy of the Tax Court of Canada, who recounted his experiences and perspective on Canadian tax litigation.

Brian McCauley, Assistant Commissioner for Legislative Policy and Regulatory Affairs, and Catherine Bennett, Assistant Commissioner for Strategy and Integration, previewed CRA's Vision 2020 Strategic Plan. In introducing the topic, Mr. McCauley acknowledged that "the people in the room [i.e., TEI members] do more to administer the tax laws on a day-to-day basis than [CRA employees]." He explained that CRA has identified several strategic directions, including the following four that are grouped as part of the "Compliance Continuum":

* Manage Compliance Intelligently ... to ensure the most effective and efficient intervention at the right point in the compliance continuum.

* Integrate the Taxpayer Experience ... to provide a taxpayer-centric approach that minimizes interactions and simplifies access to information and services.

* [Provide] Early Certainty about Tax Issues ... by offering flexible and streamlined practices that are accessible for smaller taxpayers and provide certainty upfront for cooperative taxpayers.

* Influence Compliance Attitudes ... by promoting the link between paying taxes and maintaining our society through engagement strategies that leverage personal and social norms and employ a variety of media and messengers.

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In a different session, Michelle Levac, Transfer Pricing Specialist from CRA and current chair of Working Party No. 6 for the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, discussed OECD matters during a panel discussion that also involved Mary Bennett of Baker & McKenzie LLP...