Finance committee  Go ahead, Bruce.

Finance committee  No, I think Bruce has really covered it. I was going to say that what we are hearing does seem to come more from small and medium-sized practitioners. Their revenue is more specific to certain parts of the year, whereas the larger firms across the country offer a number of advis

Finance committee  Yes, we do have some specific additional suggestions. If you would allow me, I'm going to ask my colleague Bruce Ball to respond.

Finance committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair and members. I'm Joy Thomas. I'm the president and CEO of the Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada. With me today is Bruce Ball, our vice-president of taxation. I'd like to thank you for your invitation. It's a pleasure to be virtually with you today

Finance committee  Canadian taxpayers all have the right to confidential tax advice. In Canada, lawyers are able to provide confidential tax advice to their clients, and tax accountants are not. The reason that taxpayers are allowed to have and are given the right to have confidential tax advice i

Finance committee  That's a great question. We've been on record for about 10 years, looking for the ability for our clients to access confidential tax advice from tax preparers. We also, though, in asking for that have always said that we need to have a full dialogue on where the line is and what

Finance committee  Yes, there is a difference. Tax evasion, we all know, is unlawful and unethical, and it's very harmful to our economy. Tax “avoidance” is effectively a term used to define tax planning. As Canadian taxpayers, we all have the right to organize our tax affairs in such a manner as t

Finance committee  Tax avoidance is a term used for tax planning, and it's not illegal.

Finance committee  I can't really get into the specifics. I'm not quite sure how to respond directly to that question, because I don't know what the specifics of the situation would be. I think what has to occur in all circumstances is that through the complaints inquiry process and the investigati

Finance committee  Just to clarify, CPA Canada is not a regulatory body. The regulation of the accounting profession, like all professions in Canada, is through provincial legislation. That said, the provincial regulators for the accounting profession take their accountability to the public very s

Finance committee  Thank you. There's no question that the tax system is very complex in this country, and that's not unusual to other countries as well. It has become very complex. One of the reasons is that it is such an important mechanism, an important policy lever, for stimulating the economy

Finance committee  Good morning, Mr. Chair, members of the committee. Thank you for inviting CPA Canada to participate in today's hearing. My name is Joy Thomas. I am a chartered professional accountant, and effective April 1, 2016, I became the president and CEO of CPA Canada. CPA Canada is the