0530c061   
   XPost: can.general, can.politics, ott.general   
   From: Canuck57@nospam.com   
      
   On 18/10/2011 4:37 PM, Alan Baggett wrote:   
   > 752 Fisherman Finally Get Tax Justice : CRA SOTW   
   >   
   > Payback time   
   >   
   > Published on September 28, 2011 Published on September 28, 2011   
   >   
   > It’s about time. Monday, 752 fishermen found out that the federal   
   > government is finally going to treat them fairly after years and years   
   > of dragging its feet.   
   >   
   > It’s a case that dates back to 2000, when the Canada Revenue Agency   
   > (CRA) told fishermen that they would have to pay capital gains tax on   
   > fisheries buyout packages. Scores of fishermen did — but a group of   
   > fishermen took the CRA to court, and the revenue agency offered them a   
   > settlement.   
   >   
   > The 752 others were not told about the deal, because the successful   
   > fishermen had to sign confidentiality agreements about the settlement.   
   >   
   > By the time word finally leaked out, the time limitation on taking   
   > action against the CRA had expired, with the CRA laughing all the way   
   > to the bank.   
   >   
   > For years, the fishermen who had been kept in the dark argued that the   
   > case should be reopened, and that they should have an opportunity to   
   > have their taxes reassessed.   
   > In May, a Newfoundland Supreme Court judge agreed, and Monday, the   
   > federal government finally said it would not be appealing the decision   
   > and that the reassessments would begin. The decision not to appeal is   
   > just about the first decent thing the federal government has done   
   > during this whole sordid saga.   
   >   
   > The case has been dragging on for a decade in a battle where the CRA   
   > held all the cards and made all the decisions. Fishermen who should   
   > have received reassessments no question asked after the first   
   > settlements, instead had to hire lawyers and fight to keep the issue   
   > on the public and political agendas.   
   >   
   > Their lawyer, Eli Baker, says almost all of his clients are living   
   > below the poverty line, some of them unable to heat their homes   
   > properly in winter.   
   >   
   > The CRA certainly has a responsibility to ensure that it isn’t simply   
   > handing out reassessments willy-nilly, but this kind of high-handed   
   > treatment of citizens with little ability to challenge its actions is   
   > nothing short of despicable.   
   >   
   > Now that the battle is over, hopefully the fishermen will get their   
   > due — not only the thousands of dollars of taxes that were improperly   
   > collected, but also a decade’s-worth of interest on the amount. It’s   
   > unlikely to do anything to dispel the deep mistrust these people must   
   > have for an agency of their government.   
   >   
   > But there are things the money can’t do. It’s little reward for the 76   
   > fishermen who have died since the money was paid out in error.   
   >   
   > And nothing will undo the most despicable aspect of the government’s   
   > behaviour: insisting on confidentiality agreements as part of a   
   > settlement to essentially deprive other fishermen from knowing they   
   > had an opportunity to challenge the decision. At that point, the CRA   
   > should have notified everyone affected about its new determination   
   > about fishing licence buybacks and capital gains.   
   >   
   > Unequal treatment when you’ve already admitted you’ve made a mistake,   
   > and then waiting for time limitations to expire so that you can keep   
   > money you’ve already admitted you shouldn’t have taken? It’s not the   
   > way a government agency should behave.   
      
   Still cleaning up Liberal bullshit?   
      
   But really, if I own something like that but not fishery, I would have   
   to pay.  Sounds like Liberals were pulling favors for buddies and   
   kickbacks.  The tax system is about government screwing the people.   
      
   All the same, better in their pockets.  Ottawa would just waste it.   
      
   --   
   Eat the rich, screw the companies and wonder why there are no jobs.  But   
   we have big huge government we can't afford...   
       -- Obama and the lefty fleabagger attitude   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)