In fact there is no administrative policy. The only indication we had of any kind of advice or recognition of this issue was on the back of the remittance slip for corporations that remit funds, or in certain presentations, for example, to the Canadian Tax Foundation conference. There is no direct policy within the agency.
It is understandable that corporations, even individuals, will pay money in advance, if they expect there will be a reassessment or an assessment of taxes, in order to avoid penalties and interest payments. We found in this case that in the three years we looked at, approximately $4 billion was on deposit for corporations, and there was no indication that there were audits ongoing or there was any possibility of reassessment. Those amounts had been there fairly consistently.
The agency pays interest essentially at the rate of treasury bills plus 2%. The cash it receives goes into the consolidated revenue fund and is used in the government's overall treasury management. Interest is paid to these corporations whenever the money is withdrawn from the accounts.