6 Sudbury 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 Sudbury and its provincial tax regime, not a general example.
Case Study 1 · Backlog brought current
7 Years Filed, $35,000 Removed From The Assessed Balance — Food Processing Plant, Sudbury
A food processing plant in Sudbury, Ontario had not filed for 7 years. The CRA had issued arbitrary assessments, and the business was carrying instalments still calculated on a year the business had long outgrown on top of a growing interest balance.
What we did
We started with the oldest year and worked forward so each year's closing balances fed the next. We rebuilt the sales ledger by customer location, applied the correct place-of-supply rate to each stream, and filed the adjusted HST returns, filing the years in sequence rather than all at once.
The result
Every year is now filed and assessed on actual figures. The notional assessments were vacated and $35,000 of the estimated balance came off, with a payment arrangement covering the rest.
Case Study 2 · Objection and relief
$100,000 Of Penalties And Interest Cancelled On Relief — Bookkeeping and Payroll Bureau, Sudbury
Client: A bookkeeping and payroll bureau · Where: Sudbury, Ontario · Engagement: 6 weeks, fixed fee
Penalties and interest cancelled$100,000
Relief groundsAccepted
AssessmentAdjusted to filed position
The situation
An assessment of $100,000 landed at a bookkeeping and payroll bureau in Sudbury, Ontario following a desk review. The auditor had not seen the records behind a provincial payroll levy that had never been registered for or remitted.
What we did
We assessed and claimed Ontario Innovation Tax Credit alongside the federal return, then set out the legislative basis for the position alongside the documents supporting it.
The result
$100,000 of penalties and interest was cancelled under the taxpayer relief provisions, and the underlying assessment was adjusted to match the filed position.
Case Study 3 · Records and systems rebuilt
Books Rebuilt From Source, $6,100 In Unclaimed Input Tax Found — Fintech Startup, Sudbury
A fintech startup in Sudbury, Ontario could not answer basic questions about its own numbers, because 13% HST charged on every sale regardless of where the customer was located sat between the bank statements and the ledger.
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 documented the process so the work does not depend on any one person remembering how it was done.
The result
Records rebuilt and reconciled, $6,100 recovered in input tax credits that the old file could not support, and a documented monthly process now in place.
Case Study 4 · Planning that cut the bill
Remuneration Review Saved $42,000 Across Corporate And Personal Returns — Plastics Moulder, Sudbury
Nothing was wrong at a plastics moulder in Sudbury, Ontario — the filings were on time and accurate. What they were not was planned. Sector-specific exposure the previous accountant had not seen before had never been reviewed.
What we did
We assessed and claimed Ontario Made Manufacturing Investment Tax Credit alongside the federal return, 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
$42,000 came off the combined corporate and personal tax bill, and the structure holds for future years without further work.
Client: A leasing company · Where: Sudbury, Ontario · Engagement: 4 weeks, fixed fee
Proposed tax cleared$28,500
Review duration4 weeks
OutcomeNo change
The situation
A leasing company in Sudbury, Ontario was selected for review after out-of-province sales billed at the ON rate instead of the customer’s showed up in the CRA's automated matching. The proposed adjustment on its on tax and accounting file came to $28,500.
What we did
We registered the provincial payroll account, caught up the outstanding remittances, and applied for relief on the penalty. Every figure in the response traced to a source record the auditor could verify without asking a second question.
The result
The review closed with no change. $28,500 of proposed tax came off the table, and the documentation now in place makes the next review a short one.
Case Study 6 · Sale and succession
$815,000 Sheltered By The Lifetime Capital Gains Exemption — Digital Product Agency, Sudbury
Client: A digital product agency · Where: Sudbury, Ontario · Engagement: 10 weeks, fixed fee
Gain sheltered$815,000
ClosingOn schedule
Share qualificationMet
The situation
A digital product agency in Sudbury, Ontario had an offer on the table and 33 months to close. The shares did not qualify for the capital gains exemption, and retained cash well above what the business needed to operate was part of the reason.
What we did
We purified the corporation so the shares met the qualifying tests, then rebuilt the sales ledger by customer location, applied the correct place-of-supply rate to each stream, and filed the adjusted HST returns well ahead of the closing date.
The result
The sale closed on schedule with $815,000 sheltered by the lifetime capital gains exemption across the shareholders.
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.
