Bronfmans avoid millions in taxes

[targa2]

This comes from a CCRA insider who has written extensively about the corruption within the Canadian tax dept, read half way down for the Bronfman story.


<This weeks tax tale was originally a two-parter. One of the top rated
and most discussed (internally within the CRA) it is being reprinted
here for your reading enjoyment!>


Usually we can confirm these tales by personally eyeballing Agency
records and/or receive multiple independent confirmations. But this one
is a little different. This week we have not seen any corroborating
evidence and all confirmations were not independent (all came from the
same office, Toronto Core, for the first half and from CRA HQ in Ottawa
for the latter). So, please keep this in mind when reading the
following.

NOW, on to the tax tale!

It seems that there was a Toronto lawyer with a tax bill that either he
could not pay or that he did not feel inclined to pay. Which it is
we'll never know because allegedly he had high-ranking departmental
connections. Anyway, when contacted for payment, the Toronto based tax
collector was told words similar to  'I am a good friend of your boss
Pierre Gravelle. If you bother me again I will complain straight to
him. ' To be quite honest tax employees regularly receive threats of
complaint (though usually directed to your boss or an MP) so the
collector brushed it off and proceeded as usual.

Now, before we continue, you should know that at the time of this story
Pierre Gravelle was the Deputy Minister (the head honcho) at Revenue
Canada and, coincidentally enough, had also passed the bar. (Not that
one the legal one   sheesh   get your mind out of the gutter dear
reader). In short Pierre was also - pause a minute for drama - a
lawyer.

Returning to our tax tale, when prompt payment was not forthcoming the
collector printed up a garnishment and sent it out. Which is standard
procedure. But this is where the story turns strange because before any
money could be received from the T1118 the tax collector was allegedly
called to the office of the director of the Toronto office and
allegedly ordered to remove the garnishment. Tout suite. 'Why? ' She
cried. 'Because Pierre Gravelle ordered it, ' she was allegedly told.
Furthermore the collector alleged that she was told to 'take no actions
of any kind towards collecting the account until advised to do so. ' So
our collector removed the garnishment and she waited and she waited and
she waited for permission to work the account. But, allegedly again,
that permission never came. And that's where the tale ends because as
any one who deals with the CCRA knows that tax employees are shuffled
around like a deck of cards. Just about every time you phone up you
find that someone new is working your account. So collectors came and
went on this account but, allegedly once more, none collected this
particular tax debt. Or even attempted to.

But if this tale rings true then just maybe, Virginia, there is a Santa
Claus.

Once more I should remind you dear readers that this tax tale is not
backed up by any proof that I have seen so you can pick at it all you
want and there is really nothing I can say to defend it. But before you
do remember that there is a second part to this tale that involves the
same person from this story in a similar scenario. But with one
difference. And this leads us to a rather amazing parallel tale that
involves the Bronfman Trust.

For those of you who don't know the Bronfman Trust was a multi-billion
dollar trust fund permitted to leave Canada without paying even one
penny of tax. And just who was the Deputy Minister (boss) of the CCRA
at that time this incident occurred? Pierre Gravelle. So you can see
that there is some similarity of action between these two stories. But
this is small potatoes compared to what is to be revealed next because
here is where it turns really interesting.

Why?

Well, about a year or so after the Bronfman Trust was permitted to
leave Canada untaxed the Deputy Minister of Revenue Canada resigned his
job to take up employment in the private sector. Now a lot of people
quit the CCRA so this is not unusual but our pal Pierre left the tax
biz to became president/CEO of a newly formed venture called Symcor.
Symcor deals with some of the major banks and if you want to learn more
you can Google because what Symcor does is not what's important here,
it's who owns (or once owned it) because that's the key.

You see it was alleged that Symcor was initially owned not only by
Canadian banking interests but also by one family. And that family? The
very same Bronfman family of Quebec whose trust was permitted to leave
the country untaxed when the person who was to later become head of the
private company they had a large interest in was head of Revenue
Canada. (I know that's not a grammatically correct sentence but my
name ain't Shakespeare now is it?).

Since this time however the Bronfman's have divested themselves of all
interest in Symcor and sometime around the time they did this Pierre
Gravelle's tenure with Symcor came to an end. And what's Pierre
Gravelle doing now? He's started up a consulting concern that gives
advice on taxation and duties and customs on the like. Sometimes even
charging the CCRA for it or so I have been told.

So clearly there is some similarity between the actions taken in parts
I and II in the alleged non-collection of tax. And also there is that
odd niggling coincidence that allegedly connects Symcor, the Bronfmans
and Mr. Gravelle.

And, if one or both of these tales ring true then maybe, just maybe
Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.