MONEY RECEIVED FROM ABROAD: CRA Reviews

Posted on July 6th, 2022 in Domestic Tax

Hand holding smart phone sent money dollar bills flying away from screen to global map. Technology online banking money transfer, e-commerce concept.

As of 2015, financial institutions must report electronic fund transfers (EFT) into Canada of $10,000 or more not only to FINTRAC but also to CRA. Where two or more EFTs of less than $10,000 each are made within 24 consecutive hours by or on behalf of the same individual or entity, and the total is $10,000 or more, they are considered to be a single transaction and must be reported. CRA may use this data to identify and audit taxpayers, with the goal of reassessing the receipts as taxable business income.

In a December 14, 2021, French Court of Quebec case, a married couple had received funds from China totalling just over $600,000 from 2009 to 2011. The taxpayers owned a small restaurant in Montreal. Revenu Québec took the position that, since they could not verify where the funds came from and why, the funds were undeclared income. The taxpayers argued that they were gifts and loans from family members in China.

Taxpayers win

Although the taxpayers were not able to obtain banking records from China supporting their argument, they were able to have the parties in China corroborate their representations via video conference. The Court determined that this was sufficient to transfer the burden of proof to Revenu Québec, who was not able to demonstrate that the funds were undeclared income. Therefore, the funds received were determined to be non-taxable.

ACTION: Often, support beyond the taxpayer testimony is required to demonstrate that funds received from offshore accounts are not taxable. Recipients of such funds should obtain and retain support demonstrating what the funds were for and who they were from.

Download

Article originally published in: Tax Tips & Traps 2022 Second Quarter – Issue 138.