6 GST/HST Objection 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 gst/hst objection work, not a general example.
Case Study 1 · Scaling without breaking
Growth Handled Without A Missed Filing, $132,000 Freed — Company Facing a Payroll, Toronto
Client: A company facing a payroll trust examination · Where: Toronto, Ontario · Engagement: 6 weeks, fixed fee
Cash freed$132,000
Compliance failuresNone
ReportingMonthly
The situation
A company facing a payroll trust examination in Toronto, Ontario was opening in a second province — different filing obligations, a different payroll regime, and a net-worth assessment built on unexplained deposits that were actually loan proceeds already in the file.
What we did
We traced each unexplained deposit to its source — loans, transfers between accounts, an insurance settlement — and reduced the net-worth assessment accordingly and put monthly reporting in place so the owner could see the cash effect of growth while there was still time to act on it.
The result
Growth was absorbed without a compliance failure. $132,000 of cash was released, and the monthly reporting now flags a problem while it is still small.
Case Study 2 · Deadline rescue
6-Week Turnaround Beat The Deadline And Saved $43,000 — Corporation Under a GST/HST, Burnaby
Client: A corporation under a GST/HST review · Where: Burnaby, British Columbia · Engagement: 6 weeks, fixed fee
Late-filing penalty avoided$43,000
Filed with15 days to spare
Next yearPapers ready
The situation
With the deadline for gst/hst objection weeks away, a corporation under a GST/HST review in Burnaby, British Columbia was carrying a proposal letter with a 30-day response window and no supporting records assembled. The exposure if the date slipped was around $43,000.
What we did
We filed the disclosure through the Voluntary Disclosures Program before contact, which removed the gross-negligence penalty entirely. The filing went in complete rather than provisional, so there was no amended return to follow.
The result
Filed with 15 days to spare. $43,000 in late-filing penalties avoided, and the working papers are ready for the following year.
Case Study 3 · Sale and succession
Intergenerational Transfer Completed With $500,000 Deferred — Restaurant Under a Net-Worth, Calgary
Client: A restaurant under a net-worth audit · Where: Calgary, Alberta · Engagement: 5 weeks, fixed fee
Tax deferred$500,000
TransferCompleted
RecordsReview-ready
The situation
A generational transfer at a restaurant under a net-worth audit in Calgary, Alberta had been discussed for years without a plan. No valuation on file to support the price the parties had agreed meant the transfer as contemplated would have been fully taxable.
What we did
We assembled the contemporaneous records, filed a structured response to each proposed adjustment with the supporting documents indexed, and had the proposal withdrawn, sequencing the steps so each one was complete and documented before the next depended on it.
The result
$500,000 of tax was deferred through the transfer, and the successor generation took over a corporation whose records stood up to review.
Case Study 4 · Planning that cut the bill
$36,000 Saved By Correcting What Prior Filings Had Missed — Taxpayer with Frozen Bank, Brampton
Client: A taxpayer with frozen bank accounts · Where: Brampton, Ontario · Engagement: 9 weeks, fixed fee
Saving identified$36,000
RecurringYes
Positions documentedAll
The situation
A taxpayer with frozen bank accounts in Brampton, Ontario asked for a second opinion on gst/hst objection after three years of rising tax. The review found six years of unfiled corporate and personal returns and an active collections file.
What we did
We built the comparison first — current structure against two alternatives — and then brought every outstanding return current, then negotiated a payment arrangement that stopped the collections action.
The result
First-year saving of $36,000, with the same benefit recurring. Every position taken is documented and supported in the file.
Case Study 5 · Objection and relief
Notice Of Objection Allowed In Full, $62,000 Reversed — Business Owner with a, Vancouver
Client: A business owner with a director liability assessment · Where: Vancouver, British Columbia · Engagement: 5 weeks, fixed fee
Amount reversed$62,000
ObjectionAllowed in full
Account balanceNil
The situation
A business owner with a director liability assessment in Vancouver, British Columbia had been reassessed for $62,000 and had 21 days left on the objection deadline. The reassessment rested on an objection deadline that had passed with no extension applied for.
What we did
We filed the objection inside the deadline with a complete submission rather than a placeholder, and traced each unexplained deposit to its source — loans, transfers between accounts, an insurance settlement — and reduced the net-worth assessment accordingly.
The result
The appeals officer allowed the objection in full. $62,000 was reversed and the account returned to a nil balance.
Case Study 6 · Missed incentive claimed
Incentive Review Recovered $101,000 Across 4 Open Years — Contractor Facing a Proposed, Regina
Client: A contractor facing a proposed reassessment · Where: Regina, Saskatchewan · Engagement: 5 weeks, fixed fee
Recovered$101,000
Open years claimed4
Ongoing trackingIn place
The situation
An incentive review at a contractor facing a proposed reassessment in Regina, Saskatchewan started from a simple question: what has never been claimed? The answer ran to 4 years, driven by six years of unfiled corporate and personal returns and an active collections file.
What we did
We filed the disclosure through the Voluntary Disclosures Program before contact, which removed the gross-negligence penalty entirely, documenting eligibility to the standard a reviewer would apply rather than the standard a claim form requires.
The result
The credits produced $101,000 across the open years, and the tracking now in place means the following year's claim is documented as the work happens rather than reconstructed afterwards.
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.
