Tag Archives: Voluntary Disclosure Program

Taking Part In The Canadian Voluntary Disclosure Program

It is easy to make a mistake if you fill in your tax return without professional help. It could be that you misinterpret what needs to be done, or just don’t put the figures in the right place. In Canada, the Canadian Voluntary Disclosure Program allows residents to contact the CRA and let them know about incorrect or inaccurate information that has previously been submitted. The sort of information that is allowed, will be details that has been incorrectly reported, or that was missed of the disclosure completely.

The Canadian Voluntary Disclosure Program is something that is open to any taxpayer, and this can be a business as well as a individual. It does not matter if you are a Canadian resident or not, an employer or employee and if you prefer, you can authorize someone to put in the disclosure for you. It is at times like this that there should be someone helping you. Had you employed professional help at the beginning, you may not be in this position, but at least you are getting the chance to put things right.

There are many things that you can disclose as part of the Canadian Voluntary Disclosure Program, and the areas that will be relevant to you will depend on the nature of you employment.  It can be late-filed information returns (e.g. T4, NR4, T4A-NR, T106, T1135, T1134), or GST/HST omissions, unreported source deductions, expenses that should not have been claimed, business income or unreported personal, from sources inside or outside of Canada and late-filed income tax (for example T1, T2) returns. This is not the full list, but will be appropriate for many returns.

If you are unsure as to whether or not you should take part in the Canadian Voluntary Disclosure Program, it is worth remembering that doing so could prevent you incurring penalties and even being prosecuted. You would need to pay the tax that you omitted paying previously but this is to be expected.

Before filling in the disclosure it is worth checking with your representative that you have all the information needed. There are a number of reasons for filling in this disclosure – not least the fact that it can stop prosecution. You must start the process before you are informed that there are queries being raised regarding your form, and it will relate to returns that are more than 12 months old.  If you do not a full and detailed submission in relation to the Canadian Voluntary Disclosure Program, your application for a disclosure can be refused.

If you are taking advantage of professional help, they will know where to send it, and it will include the need for you to fill in Form RC199, or provide the information in your own words. They will have to include Form T1013, Authorizing or Cancelling any Representative, or Form RC59,  and they must be signed. They will then send it to the relevant tax office dealing with the Canadian Voluntary Disclosure Program.

You will be notified of the next stages after about few weeks, and it is possible you will be asked for more information and this will be expected within 30 days of request. Next you will be informed as to whether the disclosure as part of the Canadian Voluntary Disclosure Program has been accepted or not.

The Taxpayer and the Voluntary Disclosure

When a taxpayer feels that the filing of the tax return was not so accurate, there are bound to be fears concerning possibilities of a CRA audit and assessment. This will also be the case for those employers who have not remitted their Sales Taxes or their payroll deductions. It will be a nightmare of suspense for an individual who has not bothered to disclose the earnings from abroad. All such people should actually thank the CRA for implementing the Voluntary Disclosure program.

Now, a taxpayer can rectify inaccurate or insufficient filing of tax returns without being afraid of penalties or prosecution. Voluntary disclosure allows these taxpayers to prepare and then assess the outcome of their disclosure. They can do this either on a named or even on an anonymous basis.

In the case of a named voluntary disclosure, the taxpayer will have to provide a Form RC 199 or a Taxpayer’s Agreement Form, along with the full postal code and other contact details that include the Social Insurance Number. In the case of an anonymous voluntary disclosure, the taxpayer will have to disclose only the first three digits of the postal code and the contact information of its representative, the gender and age of the individual, the taxation years and the reporting periods that are going to be involved in the voluntary disclosure. Other things that have to be disclosed are the amount of the correction in taxes, the type of the return which is involved, the type and the reasons for their earlier omission, the principal business activity of the submitter and how he or she will be able to meet the conditions of use set by the CRA.

There are several benefits to using the voluntary disclosure program. The principal one being the way it provides the taxpayers a safe method, relatively speaking, of rectifying the deficiencies in their previous tax return filings. The other biggest benefit is the prevention of the enforcement procedures special investigations into your financial affairs. The CRA will not take any action against the taxpayer if he or she discloses before an investigation notice of assessment or an audit is initiated. The taxpayers have to be aware that the consequences of a criminal prosecution can lead to a jail time of one year per charge along with penalties that may range anywhere from a thousand to twenty five thousand dollars. Many taxpayers have lost sleep and have suffered emotional stress from this burden.

People who avoid thinking about voluntary disclosure have to be aware that the penalty for late filing on the first offence is five per cent of the balance of the taxes that is outstanding and one per cent for every month that the balance will remain outstanding to a maximum period of one year. For any additional offence, the penalty goes up to ten per cent of the balance which is outstanding and two per cent for every month to a maximum period of twenty months. Interest is also added to the principal amount and it is charged in the next month.

Voluntary Disclosure Program (VDP)

As the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) moves forward to aggressively address non-compliance on unreported income or unfiled taxes, it becomes more important that you need to be aware of the Voluntary Disclosures Programs (VDP)

In cases of gross negligence, the Income Tax Act allows the CRA to assess a penalty of up to 50% of the unpaid tax or the improperly claimed benefit. In addition, the court may, on summary conviction, fine them 50% to 200% of the tax evaded, and sentence them to a jail term.

You need to quickly come to us before CRA initiates any action against you.  As soon as CRA initiates the contact, then it is too late. It could be one letter in the mail, one phone call, one personal visit, etc.

Voluntary Disclosure Program (VDP) Can Be The Perfect Solution

It could be just ONE day late, you lose everything and more! What You Need to Do Now to Fix Your Tax Problems Rather than Getting Your Life Ruined? – Voluntary Disclosure Program (VDP)

If you have unreported income, under-reported income, years of late filing with tax owing, then you cannot afford to wait any longer! Do something to resolve your tax problems TODAY!

Hire someone who is qualified and has the experience to help you solve tax problems. Many people try to handle their tax problems themselves, resulting in negative results because they do not understand the complex Voluntary Disclosure well. Keep in mind the Voluntary Disclosure Program (VDP) is more than just a simple form.

We have helped clients in reducing their tax damage by filing voluntary disclosure program (VDP) and negotiated excellent settlement for them. See what happy clients say about our Voluntary Disclosure service in the testimonial.

Do you need VDP services in other parts of Canada? Here is where our services are offered:

  • Toronto
  • Markham
  • Vancouver
  • Calgary

Our initial consultation is FREE and CONFIDENTIAL. You will get comprehensive analysis of your tax problems and recommended solutions in the first meeting. Then you can decide what to do from there.