Tax Issues for Commercial Practitioners 2015


Course Date: November 27, 2015

Total: 5h 29min

Welcome and Introduction

David Christian — Thorsteinssons LLP, Vancouver

I. Corporate Taxation: An Overview

  • nature of corporate taxation
  • taxation of different sources of income
  • corporate tax deferrals
  • theory of integration

David Christian — Thorsteinssons LLP, Vancouver

II. Corporate Reorganizations

A. Transfer of Property to a Corporation

  • which sections of the Income Tax Act can you use?
  • requirements of the various sections
  • valuation and price adjustment clauses
  • share rights and restrictions

Stephanie J. Daniels — Farris, Vaughan, Wills & Murphy LLP, Vancouver

Networking Break

B. Corporate Distributions

  • forms of distributions
  • taxation of different distributions
  • owner-manager considerations

Soraya Jamal — Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP, Vancouver

C. Mergers of Corporations

  • tax considerations in business acquisitions
  • amalgamations
  • wind-ups

Greg Hollingsworth — Lawson Lundell LLP, Vancouver

D. Divisive Reorganizations

  • overview of s. 55
  • related person reorganizations
  • butterfly reorganizations
  • purifications, splits, and spins

Alexander Demner — Thorsteinssons LLP, Vancouver

Lunch (on your own)

III. Anti-Avoidance Rules

  • surplus stripping
  • shareholder benefits
  • conferral of benefits
  • attribution rules
  • GAAR

Michael Coburn — Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP, Vancouver

Networking Break

IV. Partnership Taxation

  • creating a partnership: tax considerations
  • computing the taxable income of a partnership
  • taxation of the partners: allocating and distributing partnership income
  • partnership losses: negative cost-base, the at-risk rules, and the tax shelter investment rules
  • reorganizations and alterations to a partnership
  • cross-border tax issues 
  • termination and dissolution of a partnership

Ron DueckFarris, Vaughan, Wills & Murphy LLP, Vancouver

V. Defensive Tax Practice

  • what is professional negligence?
  • frequent causes of concern
  • prudent practices
  • reporting errors
  • rectifying errors

Tim Clarke — Moodys Gartner Tax Law LLP, Vancouver

Closing Remarks

David Christian — Thorsteinssons LLP, Vancouver