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ARTICLE · 26 AUGUST 2019

Whistleblowing Pays Off—New CRA Data On First Payments To Informants

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The Canada Revenue Agency's (CRA) Offshore Tax Informant Program (OTIP) is a whistleblower program that rewards eligible individuals who come forward to provide CRA with information

CanadaEmployment and HR
Blake A. Haarstad
Blake A. Haarstad
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The Canada Revenue Agency's (CRA) Offshore Tax Informant Program (OTIP) is a whistleblower program that rewards eligible individuals who come forward to provide CRA with information regarding the international non-compliance of Canadian taxpayers. Now, over five years into its existence, the OTIP has begun to pay out.

OTIP Payouts on the Rise

We recently submitted a request to CRA under the Access to Information Act, and obtained new data regarding the number of OTIP submissions and their outcomes. As of the end of 2018, the OTIP had received 593 written submissions which resulted in 100 audits, and CRA had entered into 38 contracts with informants.

These submissions helped to identify over $33.9 million in federal taxes owing by non-compliant taxpayers. Approximately $19.3 million in federal taxes and penalties have been collected so far. Of this, we understand that up to $1 million has been paid out to informants, although CRA was unable to confirm the exact

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