CBC investigation just uncovered one of the biggest tax scandals in Canadian history

[twizz]

Tell KPMG: come clean about your shady tax scheme and hand over information to the Canada Revenue Agency now!
http://action.sumofus.org/a/kpmg-tax-sham/?akid=13547.4093040.6u_12s&rd=1&sub=fwd&t=2

More Information
http://www.cbc.ca/m/news/business/kpmg-offshore-sham-deceived-tax-authorities-cra-alleges-1.3209838


(Copy of an email sent to me)

A major CBC investigation just uncovered one of the biggest tax scandals in Canadian history. KPMG is helping millionaire clients avoid income taxes by using shady bank accounts located in offshore in tax havens.

The Canada Revenue Agency is investigating KPMG’s crimes -- but so far the multinational auditing giant is refusing to hand over information. With this scandal breaking in the news, let’s make sure that justice is served.

Tell KPMG: come clean about your shady tax scheme and hand over information to the Canada Revenue Agency now!

KPMG is one of the largest professional services companies in the world and one of the Big Four auditors, along with Deloitte, EY and PwC.

While most of us pay our fair share of taxes and suffer through budget cuts and austerity, KPMG is helping its wealthiest clients avoid taxes and -- even worse --claim tax credits that are meant to help low and middle income Canadians.

Here's how the sham works: wealthy individuals “gift” their money to shell companies based in offshore tax havens. In return, these ultra-rich clients get non-taxable “gifts” back from the company. This way, clients are able to pay virtually no taxes while the rest of us hard-working people have to pay our fair share. Ridiculous right?

And it gets worse. KPMG is making a killing off this shady scheme. It gets to keep 15% of the taxes dodged by the clients -- money that would otherwise be used to fund healthcare, roads, public transit, education, support for refugees and more. Instead those funds are just lining KPMG’s corporate coffers.

The Conservative government has wasted millions auditing charities, but Harper and his cronies are letting corporations like KPMG run professional tax dodging schemes. It's time KPMG played by the rules.

Tell KPMG: come clean about your dirty tax dodging scheme and hand over data to the CRA.

The SumOfUs community has stood up to tax dodgers in the past. Our HSBC campaign made front page news last spring when over 62,000 of us called on the UK government to investigate allegations of tax fraud, thousands of us sent formal complaints into the UK tax office and we commissioned legal advice to demonstrate the case against HSBC.

Taxes are crucial to our quality of life and our Canadian values -- they fund our schools, maintain our healthcare system and allow us to provide a safe haven for refugees. Let’s make sure corporations and the ultra rich pay their fair share like the rest of us.

Thanks for all that you do,

Angus, Emma, Rosa, and Liz, your Canadian team at SumOfUs

 

[TESLAMotors]

Shocking.

 

[jcpro]

Maybe if they did not impose confiscatory tax rates on us we would not be seeking tax loopholes with tax bill being the largest expense facing Canadian families. As things stand, Angus, Emma, Rose and Liz can kiss my entire ass.

 

[SkyRider]

As things stand, Angus, Emma, Rose and Liz can kiss my entire ass.

I wonder how much, if any, taxes are paid personally by Angus, Emma, Rose and Liz?

 

[Frankfooter]

Maybe if they did not impose confiscatory tax rates on us we would not be seeking tax loopholes with tax bill being the largest expense facing Canadian families. As things stand, Angus, Emma, Rose and Liz can kiss my entire ass.

Maybe if the rich didn't cheat the system we wouldn't have to impose such high taxes.

 

[SkyRider]

Maybe if the rich didn't cheat the system we wouldn't have to impose such high taxes.

The lower the tax rate the less incentive to cheat (if they are in fact cheating). Hong Kong and Singapore have the lowest tax rates in the world and they managed to have successful societies.

 

[canada-man]

Maybe if they did not impose confiscatory tax rates on us we would not be seeking tax loopholes with tax bill being the largest expense facing Canadian families. As things stand, Angus, Emma, Rose and Liz can kiss my entire ass.

taxes today are lower today than 40 years ago. there is no excuse for tax evasion

 

[Smallcock]

Cut the fat out of the government to reduce taxes. All that fat is the bigger scam.

 

[jcpro]

Maybe if the rich didn't cheat the system we wouldn't have to impose such high taxes.

Laughable. Out of over 19 million filers only about 180k claimed income of 250k or larger.

 

[red]

Maybe if they did not impose confiscatory tax rates on us we would not be seeking tax loopholes with tax bill being the largest expense facing Canadian families. As things stand, Angus, Emma, Rose and Liz can kiss my entire ass.

Harper has had ten years to lower personal income tax rates- instead he has done boutique tax credits and lowered the gst. So complaint to steven.

This sounds more like evasion than a tax loophole

 

[twizz]

The lower the tax rate the less incentive to cheat (if they are in fact cheating). Hong Kong and Singapore have the lowest tax rates in the world and they managed to have successful societies.

http://m.thestar.com/#/article/news...-checking-7-claims-in-the-leaders-debate.html


Harper claims that Canada has the lowest corporate taxes in the G7, which is why it has had the strongest job growth.

Fact: In the last few years, Canada has maintained the LOWEST tax rate at 15 per cent (along with Germany) in the G7, according to the Tax Policy Centre, which is partially funded by the Brookings Institute. This has been true for decades, no matter which party was in charge, with few exceptions.

According to the OECD, Canada’s employment rate actually fell by 0.2 per cent between 2014 and 2013, as it did in France. Employment in every other country went up.

But that’s beside the point — Canada’s corporate tax rates have always been the lowest while its job growth has fluctuated. It doesn’t make sense to apply causality.

 

[twizz]

The lower the tax rate the less incentive to cheat (if they are in fact cheating). Hong Kong and Singapore have the lowest tax rates in the world and they managed to have successful societies.

Bullshit

 

[K Douglas]

taxes today are lower today than 40 years ago. there is no excuse for tax evasion

Not true. Income taxes may have been at a higher rate but if you add in consumption taxes, user fees, eco fees, gas taxes, hydro debt retirement charges etc our tax burden is far higher today.

 

[trtinajax]

http://m.thestar.com/#/article/news...-checking-7-claims-in-the-leaders-debate.html


According to the OECD, Canada’s employment rate actually fell by 0.2 per cent between 2014 and 2013, as it did in France.

Technically, based on your statement Canada's employment rate was 0.2 per cent higher in 2014 than it was in 2013. And you are criticizing Harper for that?

 

[jcpro]

Not true. Income taxes may have been at a higher rate but if you add in consumption taxes, user fees, eco fees, gas taxes, hydro debt retirement charges etc our tax burden is far higher today.

Correct. 1961 total average tax load was 33.5%. 2014- 41.8%. Includes levies, sale taxes and other "revenue tools". Most tragically, most of the "revenue tools" are aimed at the lower and middle classes who can afford them the least. However, they are the vast majority of the population and even a small increase produces a windfall for any government. They also don't have the means to defend themselves, thus are an easy target.

 

[Aardvark154]

As any competent Lawyer or Accountant will tell you taking full advantage of the tax code to reduce eliminate your taxes is entirely legal. On the other hand evading taxes is criminal conduct.

If Angus, Emma, Rosa, and Liz want to blame someone they can start with Parliament, including those where the Grits formed the Government of the Day.

 

[babyfinsta]

As any competent Lawyer or Accountant will tell you taking full advantage of the tax code to reduce eliminate your taxes is entirely legal. On the other hand evading taxes is criminal conduct.

If Angus, Emma, Rosa, and Liz want to blame someone they can start with Parliament, including those where the Grits formed the Government of the Day.

+1. i am going to use any advantage the gov't is willing to give me. If you dont like it, change the code.

 

[twizz]

Technically, based on your statement Canada's employment rate was 0.2 per cent higher in 2014 than it was in 2013. And you are criticizing Harper for that?

Not my statement. The point is it fell instead of keeping pace or increasing during 2013-2014

 

[twizz]

As any competent Lawyer or Accountant will tell you taking full advantage of the tax code to reduce eliminate your taxes is entirely legal. On the other hand evading taxes is criminal conduct.

If Angus, Emma, Rosa, and Liz want to blame someone they can start with Parliament, including those where the Grits formed the Government of the Day.

The CRA suspects something illegal is going on.

 

[JohnHenry]

The CRA suspects something illegal is going on.

And they work on the premise of guilty until proven innocent.