Indirect Tax

The consequences to a corporation of not having an effective and compliant indirect tax strategy can be far-reaching. Businesses could end up paying more tax than is required. In addition, the possibility of being assessed by tax authorities looms large, with assessments potentially leading to tax disputes and litigation.  

Companies turn to the experts in Osler’s Taxation Group to help them develop an optimal indirect tax strategy that will address these issues and minimize their liabilities. Our indirect tax practitioners are recognized as some of the nation’s leading advisors and have decades of combined experience advising businesses in the banking, insurance, energy, manufacturing, distribution, retail, and export industries on the most tax-efficient ways of structuring their operations.

Clients also benefit from the insights and connections gained from our advisors’ participation in various industry groups, including the invitation-only CPA Canada GST Leaders’ Forum, a group of leading GST/HST experts in Canada. Osler tax practitioners are relied upon to provide

• Planning and compliance advice — our team provides advice on all aspects of commodity taxation (including GST, HST, QST and provincial sales taxes), customs, import/export controls, excise taxes, fuel taxes, cross-border taxation issues, non-resident taxation issues and taxation issues related to real property development
• Tax-efficient structuring — our lawyers provide guidance on the tax-efficient structuring of major transactions, corporate reorganizations, tax rulings and interpretation requests, indirect tax management strategies and compliance, due diligence and voluntary disclosures
• Dispute resolution — this includes audits, objections, appeals and litigation while leveraging the extensive expertise of our lawyers who appear regularly before the Tax Court of Canada and Federal Court of Approval