6 worked Burnaby case studies — the position a client typically comes to us with, what we do, and what it is worth. Each is an illustrative example built on the rules that apply to Burnaby and its provincial tax regime, not a specific client's file.
Case Study 1 · Records and systems rebuilt
Books Rebuilt From Source, $6,500 In Unclaimed Input Tax Found — Digital Product Agency, Burnaby
Client: A digital product agency · Where: Burnaby, British Columbia · Engagement: 9 weeks, fixed fee
Unclaimed tax found$6,500
Records rebuilt29 months
ProcessDocumented
The situation — A digital product agency, Burnaby, British Columbia
A digital product agency in Burnaby, British Columbia could not answer basic questions about its own numbers, because provincial sales tax collected but never remitted on the separate BC return sat between the bank statements and the ledger.
What we did for A digital product agency, Burnaby, British Columbia
We recalculated the corporate tax at the 11% combined small business rate and rebased the instalments on the current year, then documented the process so the work does not depend on any one person remembering how it was done.
The result — A digital product agency, Burnaby, British Columbia
Records rebuilt and reconciled, $6,500 recovered in input tax credits that the old file could not support, and a documented monthly process now in place.
Case Study 2 · Missed incentive claimed
$127,000 Credit Claim Filed And Accepted Without Adjustment — Owner-Occupied Nightly Host, Burnaby
Client: An owner listing two suites in their own home nightly · Where: Burnaby, British Columbia · Engagement: 7 weeks, fixed fee
Claim value$127,000
AcceptedWithout adjustment
RepeatableAnnually
The situation — An owner listing two suites in their own home nightly, Burnaby, British Columbia
An owner listing two suites in their own home nightly in Burnaby, British Columbia assumed the credits did not apply to a business its size. BC Scientific Research and Experimental Development Tax Credit eligibility that had never been assessed meant they had applied all along.
What we did for An owner listing two suites in their own home nightly, Burnaby, British Columbia
We identified the qualifying activity, built the documentation to support it, and separated the federal GST and BC provincial sales tax streams, reconciled both to the sales ledger, and filed the corrected provincial returns.
The result — An owner listing two suites in their own home nightly, Burnaby, British Columbia
$127,000 recovered. Because the eligibility analysis is on file, the same claim can be repeated each year with a fraction of the effort.
Case Study 3 · Deadline rescue
9-Week Turnaround Beat The Deadline And Saved $121,000 — Four-Unit Condominium Host, Burnaby
Client: An operator with four condominium units listed nightly · Where: Burnaby, British Columbia · Engagement: 9 weeks, fixed fee
Late-filing penalty avoided$121,000
Filed with6 days to spare
Next yearPapers ready
The situation — An operator with four condominium units listed nightly, Burnaby, British Columbia
With the deadline for its bc tax and accounting file weeks away, an operator with four condominium units listed nightly in Burnaby, British Columbia was carrying sector-specific exposure the previous accountant had not seen before. The exposure if the date slipped was around $121,000.
What we did for An operator with four condominium units listed nightly, Burnaby, British Columbia
We assessed and claimed BC Scientific Research and Experimental Development Tax Credit alongside the federal return. The filing went in complete rather than provisional, so there was no amended return to follow.
The result — An operator with four condominium units listed nightly, Burnaby, British Columbia
Filed with 6 days to spare. $121,000 in late-filing penalties avoided, and the working papers are ready for the following year.
Case Study 4 · CRA review defended
$113,000 Proposed Adjustment Withdrawn In Full — Highway Motel, Burnaby
Client: A twenty-room highway motel · Where: Burnaby, British Columbia · Engagement: 7 weeks, fixed fee
Adjustment withdrawn$113,000
File closed in7 weeks
Penalties assessedNone
The situation — A twenty-room highway motel, Burnaby, British Columbia
A twenty-room highway motel in Burnaby, British Columbia received a proposal letter opening a review of its bc tax and accounting file. The CRA had identified a provincial payroll levy that had never been registered for or remitted and proposed an adjustment of $113,000, with 30 days to respond.
What we did for A twenty-room highway motel, Burnaby, British Columbia
We treated the response as an evidence exercise rather than an argument. We assessed and claimed BC Small Business Venture Capital Tax Credit alongside the federal return, then indexed every supporting document against the specific line the auditor had questioned.
The result — A twenty-room highway motel, Burnaby, British Columbia
The proposed adjustment was withdrawn in full — all $113,000 of it. The file closed in 7 weeks with no change to the assessed amounts and no penalty.
Case Study 5 · Objection and relief
Desk-Review Assessment Of $80,000 Vacated — Seasonal Cabin Motel, Burnaby
Client: A seasonal motel with a row of housekeeping cabins · Where: Burnaby, British Columbia · Engagement: 7 weeks, fixed fee
Assessment vacated$80,000
Supporting recordsNow on file
AccountCleared
The situation — A seasonal motel with a row of housekeeping cabins, Burnaby, British Columbia
A seasonal motel with a row of housekeeping cabins in Burnaby, British Columbia was carrying $80,000 of penalties and interest arising from input tax credits claimed against BC provincial tax, which is not recoverable the way GST is, much of it accumulated during a period the CRA itself had delayed.
What we did for A seasonal motel with a row of housekeeping cabins, Burnaby, British Columbia
We registered the provincial payroll account, caught up the outstanding remittances, and applied for relief on the penalty and framed the relief application on the specific grounds the CRA guidelines recognise rather than on general hardship.
The result — A seasonal motel with a row of housekeeping cabins, Burnaby, British Columbia
The assessment was vacated. $80,000 came off the account, and the documentation now on file makes the same position straightforward to defend next time.
Case Study 6 · Scaling without breaking
Second-Province Expansion Handled, $29,000 Of Cash Released — Owner-Occupied Bed and Breakfast, Burnaby
Client: An owner-occupied bed and breakfast with three guest rooms · Where: Burnaby, British Columbia · Engagement: 6 weeks, fixed fee
Cash released$29,000
New registrationsComplete on day one
Compliance gapsNone
The situation — An owner-occupied bed and breakfast with three guest rooms, Burnaby, British Columbia
Revenue at an owner-occupied bed and breakfast with three guest rooms in Burnaby, British Columbia was up sharply and cash was tighter than ever. Underneath it sat provincial sales tax collected but never remitted on the separate BC return.
What we did for An owner-occupied bed and breakfast with three guest rooms, Burnaby, British Columbia
We recalculated the corporate tax at the 11% combined small business rate and rebased the instalments on the current year. Every new obligation — registration, remittance frequency, provincial filing — was set up before it was triggered, not after.
The result — An owner-occupied bed and breakfast with three guest rooms, Burnaby, British Columbia
$29,000 of cash was released from the working capital cycle, and the expansion completed with every registration and filing obligation covered from day one.
Reviewed for the 2025 tax year by Udit Gupta, Founder and Tax Accountant. These case studies are illustrative worked examples composed from the CRA rules that apply to this type of work, not specific client files; figures are representative and outcomes depend on your own facts.
