6 Burlington 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 Burlington and its provincial tax regime, not a general example.
Case Study 1 · Backlog brought current
$125,000 Of Arbitrary Assessments Vacated After 4 Years — Precision Machine Shop, Burlington
4 years of unfiled returns had turned into notional assessments at a precision machine shop in Burlington, Ontario, with 13% HST charged on every sale regardless of where the customer was located underneath. Collections had already started.
What we did
We recalculated the corporate tax at the 12.2% combined small business rate and rebased the instalments on the current year, then filed every outstanding year in chronological order so the CRA could vacate the notional assessments cleanly.
The result
All 4 years were accepted as filed. $125,000 of arbitrarily assessed tax was vacated, collections action stopped, and the account is current for the first time in 4 years.
Case Study 2 · Structure rebuilt
Corporate Structure Rebuilt For $64,000 Of Annual Savings — Benefits Consultancy, Burlington
The structure at a benefits consultancy in Burlington, Ontario 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 Ontario Made Manufacturing Investment 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
$64,000 of annual saving, achieved on a tax-deferred basis. The minute book, elections and valuations are all in the file.
Case Study 3 · Objection and relief
Notice Of Objection Allowed In Full, $60,000 Reversed — Psychology Practice, Burlington
Client: A psychology practice · Where: Burlington, Ontario · Engagement: 10 weeks, fixed fee
Amount reversed$60,000
ObjectionAllowed in full
Account balanceNil
The situation
A psychology practice in Burlington, Ontario had been reassessed for $60,000 and had 22 days left on the objection deadline. The reassessment rested on out-of-province sales billed at the ON rate instead of the customer’s.
What we did
We filed the objection inside the deadline with a complete submission rather than a placeholder, and registered the provincial payroll account, caught up the outstanding remittances, and applied for relief on the penalty.
The result
The appeals officer allowed the objection in full. $60,000 was reversed and the account returned to a nil balance.
Case Study 4 · Deadline rescue
$91,000 Late-Filing Penalty Cancelled On Relief Application — Mobile App Studio, Burlington
Client: A mobile app studio · Where: Burlington, Ontario · Engagement: 4 weeks, fixed fee
Penalty cancelled$91,000
Relief applicationGranted
ReturnAccepted as filed
The situation
A mobile app studio in Burlington, Ontario had already missed one deadline and was about to miss a second. Behind it sat instalments still calculated on a year the business had long outgrown, and a penalty of $91,000 was accruing.
What we did
We split the work into what had to happen before the deadline and what could follow it, then 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
The outstanding return was accepted as filed, and the taxpayer relief application cancelled $91,000 of the penalty already assessed on the earlier year.
Case Study 5 · Records and systems rebuilt
30 Months Reconciled And $6,800 Of Input Tax Recovered — Food Processing Plant, Burlington
A food processing plant in Burlington, Ontario was carrying a provincial payroll levy that had never been registered for or remitted. Nothing reconciled, and every filing started with 30 months of cleanup.
What we did
We rebuilt from source rather than correcting on top of the existing file. We assessed and claimed Ontario Innovation Tax Credit alongside the federal return, then set the routine that keeps it clean.
The result
30 months reconciled to the bank. The close now takes 7 days, and $6,800 of previously unclaimable input tax was recovered in the process.
Case Study 6 · Cash and remittance control
$42,000 Of Working Capital Freed From The Tax Cycle — Captive Insurance Manager, Burlington
A captive insurance manager in Burlington, Ontario was profitable on paper and short of cash every month. 13% HST charged on every sale regardless of where the customer was located explained most of the gap.
What we did
We recalculated the corporate tax at the 12.2% combined small business rate and rebased the instalments on the current year and built a thirteen-week cash view so tax payments stopped competing with payroll for the same dollars.
The result
$42,000 was released back into working capital. Remittances have been on time every period since, and the forecast shows the tax outflow before it lands.
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.
