CRA Data Breeches Put Taxpayer Information at Risk

An important deadline is coming up, around the same time that Canadians get ready to file their 2026 tax returns at the start of tax season 2027. Since 2020, more than 42,000 data breaches have occurred at the CRA. A class action lawsuit was launched in 2020 and a $8.76 million settlement was reached.  Eligible Canadians affected by these security incidents can now submit claims through the KPMG Claims Portal until February 3, 2027.  

On May 1, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) announced that two corporations and the director of one plead guilty to tax evasion charges in the Provincial Court of Manitoba. The fines totaled a hefty $731,986.

Comedian Ray Romano once said, "Having children is a lot like living in a frat house – nobody sleeps, everything’s broken, and there’s a lot of throwing up.”  But aside from being highly amusing calamities at times, families are also powerful economic unions which are subject to fairly complicated tax rules.

Recently, the federal and several provincial governments have announced their intention of introducing Social Impact Bonds.

On May 9, the Honourable Gail Shea, Minister of National Revenue, released a statement that the US, Australia, and the UK announced they are in possession of tax-related information involving numerous trusts and companies holding assets on behalf of residents in jurisdictions around the world.

In the May 8 issue of KBR, the article “Understanding Synthetic Dispositions” explained the concepts of synthetic dispositions and their tax implications. In this issue, we provide an example involving the forward sale of securities.

Taxpayers and their advisors must prepare documentation and filings that follow both the laws created by the Department of Finance and the interpretation of the law by CRA. This has been proven again and again in the Courts. That’s why taxpayers and their advisors must understand the rules and how to comply with them, not just during tax filing season, but in its aftermath, too.