6 St. John's tax and accounting engagements in full — what the client came to us with, what we did, and what it was worth. Each one is specific to St. John's and its provincial tax regime, not a general example.
Case Study 1 · Records and systems rebuilt
Books Rebuilt From Source, $17,500 In Unclaimed Input Tax Found — Craft Brewery with a, St. John's
Client: A craft brewery with a taproom · Where: St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador · Engagement: 6 weeks, fixed fee
Unclaimed tax found$17,500
Records rebuilt20 months
ProcessDocumented
The situation
A craft brewery with a taproom in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador could not answer basic questions about its own numbers, because sector-specific exposure the previous accountant had not seen before sat between the bank statements and the ledger.
What we did
We assessed and claimed NL Green Technology Tax Credit alongside the federal return, then documented the process so the work does not depend on any one person remembering how it was done.
The result
Records rebuilt and reconciled, $17,500 recovered in input tax credits that the old file could not support, and a documented monthly process now in place.
Case Study 2 · Sale and succession
Intergenerational Transfer Completed With $755,000 Deferred — Fintech Startup, St. John's
Client: A fintech startup · Where: St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador · Engagement: 5 weeks, fixed fee
Tax deferred$755,000
TransferCompleted
RecordsReview-ready
The situation
A generational transfer at a fintech startup in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador had been discussed for years without a plan. A minute book with no resolutions behind a decade of dividends meant the transfer as contemplated would have been fully taxable.
What we did
We registered the provincial payroll account, caught up the outstanding remittances, and applied for relief on the penalty, sequencing the steps so each one was complete and documented before the next depended on it.
The result
$755,000 of tax was deferred through the transfer, and the successor generation took over a corporation whose records stood up to review.
Case Study 3 · Cash and remittance control
Instalments Rebased, $127,000 Of Cash Returned To The Business — Data Analytics Consultancy, St. John's
Client: A data analytics consultancy · Where: St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador · Engagement: 10 weeks, fixed fee
Cash returned$127,000
Instalment basisCurrent year
ReviewedQuarterly
The situation
A data analytics consultancy in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador was paying instalments calculated on a prior year that no longer reflected the business. Instalments still calculated on a year the business had long outgrown was tying up $127,000 of cash.
What we did
We rebased the instalments on the current-year estimate rather than the prior-year default, and rebuilt the sales ledger by customer location, applied the correct place-of-supply rate to each stream, and filed the adjusted HST returns.
The result
$127,000 of cash stayed in the business, the penalty cycle ended, and the instalment position is reviewed each quarter against actual results.
Case Study 4 · Backlog brought current
Collections Halted And $73,000 Cut From A 5-Year Backlog — B2B SaaS Company, St. John's
Client: A B2B SaaS company · Where: St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador · Engagement: 9 weeks, fixed fee
Balance reduced by$73,000
Backlog cleared5 years
CollectionsHalted
The situation
By the time a B2B SaaS company in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador called, 5 years were outstanding and the CRA had assessed on estimates. Underneath it sat a provincial payroll levy that had never been registered for or remitted.
What we did
We reconstructed the records year by year and assessed and claimed NL Manufacturing and Processing Investment Tax Credit alongside the federal return. Each filing replaced an arbitrary assessment with a real one.
The result
The account is current. Filing on real numbers rather than CRA estimates reduced the balance by $73,000, and a relief application addressed part of the accumulated interest.
Case Study 5 · Planning that cut the bill
Remuneration Review Saved $14,500 Across Corporate And Personal Returns — Solar Installation Company, St. John's
Client: A solar installation company · Where: St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador · Engagement: 11 weeks, fixed fee
Combined saving$14,500
ScopeCorporate + personal
Future yearsNo rework needed
The situation
Nothing was wrong at a solar installation company in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador — the filings were on time and accurate. What they were not was planned. 15% HST charged on every sale regardless of where the customer was located had never been reviewed.
What we did
We recalculated the corporate tax at the 11.5% combined small business rate and rebased the instalments on the current year, and ran the numbers across both the corporate and personal returns so the saving was real rather than deferred into someone else's hands.
The result
$14,500 came off the combined corporate and personal tax bill, and the structure holds for future years without further work.
Case Study 6 · Structure rebuilt
Corporate Structure Rebuilt For $65,000 Of Annual Savings — Greenhouse Grower, St. John's
Client: A greenhouse grower · Where: St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador · Engagement: 3 weeks, fixed fee
Saving per year$65,000
DocumentationComplete
Transfer basisRollover
The situation
The structure at a greenhouse grower in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador had been set up years earlier for a business that no longer existed, and sector-specific exposure the previous accountant had not seen before had become expensive.
What we did
We assessed and claimed NL Green Technology Tax Credit alongside the federal return. The reorganisation used the rollover provisions rather than a taxable transfer, so no tax fell due on the restructuring itself.
The result
$65,000 of annual saving, achieved on a tax-deferred basis. The minute book, elections and valuations are all in the file.
Reviewed for the 2025 tax year by Udit Gupta, Certified Tax Accountant. Figures describe representative engagements of this type; outcomes depend on your own facts. Client names and identifying details are omitted for confidentiality.
