Thought Leaders

Thought Leaders

Trump’s proposed tariffs against Canada and Mexico may be illegal, but that’s not the real problem

To integrate further through appeasement with a country that has rejected the rule of law would be to surrender Canadian sovereignty to the United States
Thought Leaders

The Big Four accounting firms often consult for the same clients they audit. Should that be allowed?

Accounting research shows that the Big Four, when engaged as compensation consultants, appear to uphold more rigorous standards than smaller counterparts
Thought Leaders

Cineplex’s $38.9 million fine is a wake-up call about corporate sustainability practices

Accounting professor Douglas A. Stuart asserts the Competition Bureau’s fine for drip pricing practices is just one example of sustainability mismanagement
Thought Leaders

Only the United States benefits from renegotiating the Canada-U.S.-Mexico trade deal

Free trade deals with regular renegotiation requirements such as CUSMA put smaller economies under pressure to lose leverage and surrender policy autonomy
Thought Leaders

Churches don’t pay taxes. Should they?

Many Canadians don’t realize that religious properties are tax exempt, however, this privilege is increasingly being debated as organized religion recedes
Thought Leaders

The ‘tax-free trap’: How a simple phrase skews Canadians’ savings choices

Canadian taxpayers may be sacrificing long-term savings for short-term investments due to heuristic language that simplifies complex decisions
Thought Leaders

A Privilege Primer, Part III: Reconsidering accountants’ tax services as legal services

In the third of a three-part series on the Gaudreau case before the FCA in Quebec, Brian Studniberg of Henein Hutchison Robitaille LLP concludes his thoughts on situational forms of privilege between tax accountants and their clients
Thought Leaders

Election rumours invite reflections on Doug Ford’s record in Ontario

Reducing taxes and costs to businesses and consumers in the short term is raising questions about the Ontario government’s long term fiscal responsibility
Thought Leaders

‘We remain concerned’: Senate inquiry into PwC tax scandal calls for reform, but overuse of consultants will likely continue

Despite scathing public inquiry reports about the PwC Australia tax consulting scandal, it would take decades to reduce government reliance on consultants
Thought Leaders

DAC Investment and the GAAR: Did the Tax Court of Canada get it right?

Allan Lanthier is unconvinced by the reasoning in a recent Tax Court of Canada decision involving a Canadian-controlled private corporation and the BVI
Thought Leaders

A Privilege Primer, Part II: Where do accountants fit in under existing Canadian law?

In the second of a three-part series on the Gaudreau case before the FCA in Quebec, Brian Studniberg of Henein Hutchison Robitaille LLP examines the settings in which an accountant’s work product could be protected by legal privilege
Thought Leaders

Why the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion is a bad deal for Canadians — and the world

Taxpayers are on the hook for an economically disastrous Faustian bargain that will burden future generations of Canadians as it contributes to climate chaos
Thought Leaders

Crystallizing capital gains before June 25: What about the GAAR?

Allan Lanthier explains why the General Anti-Avoidance Rule, as amended by Bill C-59, should not apply to a planning alternative to new capital gains rules
Thought Leaders

The new game in town: Capital gains and the alternative minimum tax

The federal government's new capital gains rules have left taxpayers in a pickle says Allan Lanthier. But here's a planning alternative with a deadline of June 24
Thought Leaders

A Privilege Primer, Part I: Gaudreau reminds that there is no accountant-client privilege in Canada. But why?

Can the courts compel Canadian accountants to disclose their tax analysis? In the first of a three-part series, Brian Studniberg of Henein Hutchison Robitaille LLP looks at the Gaudreau case currently before the Federal Court of Appeal in Quebec
Thought Leaders

Economic growth tops the priority list for Canadian policymakers — here’s why

There's nothing wrong with challenging our assumptions, say academics from the University of Saskatchewan, but interest rates are higher than growth rates
Thought Leaders

Canadian federal budget 2024: Does it deliver on ‘generational fairness’ promise for Gen Z and Millennials?

Whether the federal budget will help millennials and Gen Z through tax initiatives, says Gustavson accounting professor Douglas A. Stuart, is subject to speculation
Thought Leaders

An economist explains: Textbook economics is badly flawed when it comes to climate change

Double standards abound on the carbon tax, says MacEwan University economics professor Junaid B. Jahangir, despite the support (and limits) of textbook economics
Thought Leaders

Stock markets signal a growing gap between Canadian and American clean tech firms

Canadian taxpayer-supported clean tech startups may move south of the border due to regulatory risk and political uncertainty despite substantial tax benefits
Thought Leaders

Fossil fuel subsidies cost Canadians a lot more money than the carbon tax

Subsidies cost Canadian taxpayers roughly $214 per taxpayer every year — and unlike the federal carbon tax, Canadians don’t get a rebate on this tax
Thought Leaders

PwC Australia ethics breach: Differences in Canadian and Australian CPA regulation

Though similiar, there are important differences between Australian and Canadian professional rules of conduct explains accounting professor George Gonzalez
Thought Leaders

Ethnic diversity is still a serious issue at the top level in accounting firms

Research suggests women and minorities are under-represented at senior positions in Canadian accounting firms despite measures to improve diversity
Thought Leaders

Taxes aren’t just about money — they shape how we think about each other

Research shows taxpayers perceive paying income tax, but not regressive sales taxes, as contributing as a citizen for the purpose of the common good
Thought Leaders

10 reasons why Canadians are still dissatisfied with the economy, despite the upswing

Four accounting academics explain the disconnect between the pessimism of Canadians and an economy that seems headed for a soft landing
Thought Leaders

Here’s what we can learn from Canada’s response to inflation in the 1980s and 1990s

Inflation is a tax on households, but don’t expect prices to revert to pre-pandemic levels, as interest rates could stay where they are for several more months