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ARTICLE · 17 AUGUST 2017

Panama Papers: CRA Getting Tougher On Tax Evasion

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We are beginning to see the legal enforcement fallout from the now infamous Panama Papers. CRA concerted efforts to find undeclared offshore money and assets is moving into full gear.

CanadaTax
Jenny P. Mboutsiadis
Jenny P. Mboutsiadis
Anastasia Reklitis
Anastasia Reklitis
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We are beginning to see the legal enforcement fallout from the now infamous Panama Papers.  Canada Revenue Agency's (CRA) concerted efforts to find undeclared offshore money and assets is moving into full gear. In addition to pursuing typical civil audits, the CRA is now executing search warrants and launching criminal investigations for tax evasion.

The CRA is actively gathering information from domestic and international sources to identify and charge offenders criminally. Since 2015, the Canadian government has required domestic financial institutions to report to the CRA all international electronic fund transfers of $10,000 or more.  In addition, as of March 2016 the CRA has analyzed over 41,000 transactions worth over $12 billion dollars, involving four jurisdictions and particular financial institutions of concern, and has initiated risk assessments on 1,300 individuals named in the Panama Papers. This has resulted in approximately 122 CRA audits to date and

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