Taxation Law
Submitted by Section Chair, Ted Sutcliffe
Summary of Meetings
Number of Meetings Held: 5
November 13, 2013
Guest Speaker: Bill MacLagan
Meeting Title/Topic: Insights into the Canadian Tax Foundation and Board of Governors
Synopsis: Bill MacLagan provided a summary of the mandate and operations of the Canadian Tax Foundation.
January 22, 2014
Guest Speaker: The Honourable Justice David Graham
Meeting Title/Topic: What I learned in my first year as a Tax Court Judge
Synopsis: The Honourable Justice Graham described his experiences and observations as a Tax Court Judge.
March 11, 2014
Guest Speaker: Eric Douglas and John Asher
Meeting Title/Topic: Transfer Pricing Developments
Synopsis: Approximately 11 Junior, Intermediate, and Senior lawyers attended this meeting.
April 30, 2014
Guest Speakers: Joel Nitikman
Meeting Title/Topic: DOJ and CRA - The Mechanics of the Litigation Process and the Ideal of Early Resolution
June 18, 2014
Guest Speaker: N/A
Meeting Title/Topic: Section Membership Feedback
Synopsis: A discussion was had among the members about the operation of the tax Section. Elections were held for the treasurer position.
Comments and Observations of the Chair
This was my final year as Chair for the Taxation Law Section, and the last of 8 years serving on the Section executive. I believe the Taxation Law Section continues to be valuable to its members, both in terms of educational value of our meetings and an opportunity to interact with other tax practitioners. I did however grow increasingly frustrated with the CBA over the years. The level of reporting, oversight and interaction required with CBA administration seems to be ever increasing. While I recognize that some of this is necessary, the CBA needs to be mindful that Sections are run by volunteers and should strive to minimize the amount of time required of volunteers to comply with CBA policies and procedures.