Quote:
Originally Posted by Locke
I think the opposite. Its time to make tax treatment standard and uniform and to stop offering leniency, amnesty, deals and loopholes.
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It's not really about principle for the fisc, it's all about collecting money. Realistically, no one thinks they're going to get caught when they do it, and deterrence isn't going to happen by virtue of stricter enforcement. People are generally aware of the consequences of evasion if they get caught.
If it costs more money to mount someone's head on a pike than you end up getting out of them, it's irresponsible to spend taxpayer money doing so. If a tax dispute can be settled at the administrative stage (i.e. before the tax court and ideally before it even goes up the chain in the CRA), it's more cost-effective for all parties. Voluntary disclosure, for example, is lenient precisely because it costs the government basically zilch, and it results in the recovery of funds. Whether or not it feeds an appetite for revenge on the fat-cats with their offshore accounts is irrelevant; practicality has to come first. We need to pay doctors and fix roads and such.