On August 15, 2013, the Supreme Court of Canada dismissed the application for leave to appeal in Terry E.Taylor v. Her Majesty the Queen  (2012 FCA 148).

In Taylor, the issue was whether a signed settlement agreement under which the taxpayer waived his right to appeal was binding. In that case, the taxpayer was assessed for income tax and GST, as well as gross negligence penalties and interest. He signed a settlement agreement under which the Minister of National Revenue would vacate the gross negligence penalties and, in exchange, he would waive his right to object or appeal in accordance with subsections 165(1.2) and 169(2.2) of the Income Tax Act and subsections 301(1.6) and 206.1(2) of the Excise Tax Act. The taxpayer, who did not have counsel advising him at the time, later claimed that he was under duress when he signed the agreement. Having already disposed of the penalties, he went to Tax Court to challenge the amount of tax assessed.

Justice Judith Woods held that the taxpayer's testimony that he was "scared" and pressured into signing the agreement lacked credibility given his qualifications as a Certified Management Accountant and his extensive business and financial experience. He had ample time to consult with counsel prior to meeting with the CRA. The Tax Court held that the settlement agreement was "freely made" and signed without "undue pressure."  The Tax Court dismissed the taxpayer's appeal (2010 TCC 246) and the Federal Court of Appeal affirmed at 2012 FCA 148. As noted above, the Supreme Court of Canada has declined to hear Mr. Taylor's appeal.

Taylor adds to an existing body of case law on the question of whether, and under what circumstances, settlement agreements between taxpayers and the CRA can be set aside. The Tax Court has held that in certain limited circumstances a settlement agreement may not be binding. For example, in 1390758 Ontario Corporation v. The Queen (2010 TCC 572) and Huppe v. the Queen (2010 TCC 644), agreements were held to be binding so long as they were made on a "principled" basis (see, for example, Daniel Sandler and Colin Campbell, "Catch-22: A Principled Basis for the Settlement of Tax Appeals", Canadian Tax Journal (2009), Vol. 57, No. 4, 762-86).

Given that a significant portion of tax disputes are settled and never reach the courtroom, professional advisors should ensure that taxpayers understand the implications of signing settlement agreements under which they relinquish rights of objection or appeal.

For more information, visit our Canadian Tax Litigation blog at www.canadiantaxlitigation.com

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