Tax
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April 15, 2026
Tax appeals held in abeyance don’t justify enhanced costs for Crown: court
The Federal Court of Appeal has rejected the Crown’s bid for enhanced costs in a tax case, dismissing its reliance on other appeals held in abeyance and ruling that only the amounts and parties directly before the court were relevant to the costs award.
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April 15, 2026
Tax Court broadens CEWS revenue test in Ratti v. The King
During the pandemic, the government provided various forms of financial support to Canadian individuals and businesses. One of the more widely known is the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) for individuals, governed by the Canada Emergency Response Benefit Act, S.C. 2020, c. 5, s. 8. The subsequent Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB) was somewhat of an extension of CERB and again provided support to individuals pursuant to the Canada Recovery Benefits Act, S.C. 2020, c. 12, s. 2.
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April 14, 2026
Ottawa suspends excise tax on fuel to ease cost pressures on Canadians
Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced a temporary suspension of the federal excise tax on gasoline, diesel and aviation fuel in a bid to reduce the impact of rising fuel prices following the war in Iran.
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April 14, 2026
Robins Appleby names Eric Miller associate in tax group
Eric Miller has joined Robins Appleby as an associate in its tax group.
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April 13, 2026
Why equal shares aren’t always equal: RRIF estate tax lessons
What happens when a Registered Retirement Income Fund (RRIF) is included in an estate but the will says nothing about it? The Québec Superior Court answered that question in Noël c. Birk, 2026 QCCS 187, and the answer should matter to every estate planner, liquidator and testator with registered assets.
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April 13, 2026
Ontario 2026 budget introduces enhanced HST relief on new homes
On March 26, the province of Ontario introduced its 2026 budget, which proposes a temporary enhancement to the provincial portion of the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) New Housing Rebate and New Residential Rental Property Rebate. The measure is intended to improve housing affordability by increasing the amount of provincial HST relief available on qualifying new home purchases while preserving the existing rebate framework and eligibility rules.
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April 13, 2026
SCC’s new session precedes big moves as Martin J. and judges prep for departures
The Supreme Court of Canada’s spring docket presents the nine judges with a wide range of appeals, including the last cases to be heard by soon-to-retire Justice Sheilah Martin and her colleagues in their iconic 1940s-era Ottawa courthouse, which is slated for a multi-year major update. The Supreme Court’s new spring session, scheduled from April 13 to May 22, 2026, features 14 appeals, 10 of which involve criminal law issues.
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April 09, 2026
Taxpayers’ Ombudsperson asks CRA to improve online resources for user experience
Taxpayers’ Ombudsperson François Boileau has asked the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) to make improvements to its online resources to help reduce the number of calls to its contact centres.
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April 09, 2026
Federal Court fines operator, company over inadequate efforts to comply with disclosure order
The Federal Court has ordered a business operator and his company to pay more than $14,000 in fines and costs after they pleaded guilty to contempt for failing to comply with a court order to provide information to the CRA, finding they failed to take reasonable steps to purge their contempt.
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April 09, 2026
Broadening Canada’s hybrid mismatch rules
On Jan. 29, 2026, the Department of Finance released draft legislation that contained the second package of hybrid mismatch rules that was first announced in the federal government’s 2021 Budget (the Proposals).