Royal Bank of Canada has been ordered to divulge the real owners of 97 offshore corporations that used its services, but a critic is wondering why it’s taken the Canada Revenue Agency six years to acquire a fount of information that could help detect tax cheats.
In submissions to the Federal Court of Canada, the CRA says most of the companies used tactics to “obfuscate the identities of the persons who truly control and beneficially own these entities,” and it wants to check whether the real owners are Canadians hiding money in tax havens.
“The CRA is concerned that any or all of these 97 Bahamian corporations may be controlled and/or beneficially owned by persons resident in Canada,” the agency says in a court filing.
Canadian individuals and corporations have $23 billion in declared, known funds held in or invested through the Bahamas — more than France, Spain and Portugal combined. A 2018 CRA study suggested Canadians have another $76 billion to $241 billion in undeclared, hidden wealth stashed in all offshore jurisdictions combined, but it didn’t break it down by country.
In May, a judge granted the federal government’s request for an order for Royal Bank and its RBC Dominion Securities subsidiary to provide any information that would help the CRA identify the owners of the 97 Bahamas corporations. The bank did not oppose the government.
The CRA says in its court filings that all the companies had investment accounts at Royal Bank or RBC Dominion at some point, “which suggests that they might be or have been controlled by persons resident in or situated in Canada.”
It’s not inherently illegal for Canadians to have an offshore account or company, but any assets over $100,000 and any income have to be reported for tax purposes.
CRA mum about other banks
CBC/Radio-Canada originally reported in 2016 that the Bahamas Leaks revealed that three Canadian banks had provided services to nearly 2,000 offshore companies in the Bahamas since 1990. The banks were what’s known as “registered agents” — licensed intermediaries who pay the annual fees to the Bahamas corporate registry, manage the paperwork and in many cases also incorporate the offshore companies.
The leaked files showed that Royal Bank acted as agent for 847 Bahamian companies listed in the leaked data, companies with names from Abbatis 1 Inc. to Yellow Jacket Holdings Ltd., while CIBC registered or administered 632 and Scotiabank handled 481.
Royal Bank didn’t answer questions from CBC News about the Bahamas corporations, but did provide a statement saying that in general, it has “high standards and an extensive due diligence process to detect and prevent any illegal activity occurring through RBC.”
Neither the CRA nor RBC would explain how the number of offshore companies of interest was whittled down to 97 from the 847 number. Some of that reduction is likely because even back in 2016, nearly half of those companies were already dormant or dissolved. It’s possible the CRA also determined that many of the companies had no Canadian shareholders or other ties to Canada that could lead to tax obligations.
Toby Sanger of Canadians for Tax Fairness says the Bahamas is a notoriously secretive jurisdiction where people often route money in order to keep hidden. (CBC)
There is no indication in the docket of the Federal Court that the CRA has also gone after any of the companies managed by CIBC or Scotiabank. It’s possible the tax agency obtained information directly and confidentially from those two banks using powers under the Income Tax Actthat don’t require it to first get a court order, but it wouldn’t say.
“The CRA does not generally release information related to our compliance approaches, as it could provide a roadmap to non-compliance,” the agency said in a statement to CBC News. “As such, we are unable to confirm if the CRA will be seeking authorization to retrieve third party data from CIBC and Scotiabank.”
‘Very frustrating’
Toby Sanger, a senior policy adviser to the advocacy group Canadians for Tax Fairness, said the lack of transparency doesn’t help the impression that the CRA “seems to be more focused on going after the easy targets, the small-time individuals,” rather than the bigger and more complex cases of offshore tax evasion and avoidance.
“We shouldn’t just kind of write these carte blanche cheques allowing wealthy corporations and individuals with money in whatever jurisdiction they decide to park it in to avoid taxes,” he said in an interview.
The CRA, which proclaimed in the wake of other leaks, such as the Panama Papers and the Paradise Papers, that it was cracking down on offshore tax shenanigans, also wouldn’t explain why it’s only seeking ownership records for the 97 offshore companies now — six years after the Bahamas Leaks brought them to light.
“It’s very frustrating and disappointing that it has taken the CRA so long to act on these leaks,” Sanger said. “The slow action in this instance on the Bahamas Leaks means that they’re just kind of crying wolf, and that it’s more bark than bite.”
The Bahamas Leaks records were obtained by Sueddeutsche Zeitung, the same German newspaper that was leaked the Panama Papers, which then shared the files with the Washington-based International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and its network of global media partners, including CBC/Radio-Canada.
The Panama Papers emerged a few months earlier in 2016, but the CRA has yet to lay any criminal charges against anyone named in that leak. Other countries have already brought hundreds of charges and secured convictions.
The CRA received nearly $1 billion in extra funding between 2016 and this year to combat tax evasion and tax avoidance. In an email to CBC, the agency couldn’t point to a single criminal conviction it’s obtained in the last 4½ years that had to do with offshore tax evasion.
The agency said last week that at one point, it had five open criminal investigations stemming from the Panama Papers, but it subsequently dropped three. The two remaining cases appear to be ongoing probes into $77 million in alleged withholding-tax evasion in Vancouver, and an investigation into an Alberta oilpatch financier.
TORONTO – Roots Corp. may have built its brand on all things comfy and cosy, but its CEO says activewear is now “really becoming a core part” of the brand.
The category, which at Roots spans leggings, tracksuits, sports bras and bike shorts, has seen such sustained double-digit growth that Meghan Roach plans to make it a key part of the business’ future.
“It’s an area … you will see us continue to expand upon,” she told analysts on a Friday call.
The Toronto-based retailer’s push into activewear has taken shape over many years and included several turns as the official designer and supplier of Team Canada’s Olympic uniform.
But consumers have had plenty of choice when it comes to workout gear and other apparel suited to their sporting needs. On top of the slew of athletic brands like Nike and Adidas, shoppers have also gravitated toward Lululemon Athletica Inc., Alo and Vuori, ramping up competition in the activewear category.
Roach feels Roots’ toehold in the category stems from the fit, feel and following its merchandise has cultivated.
“Our product really resonates with (shoppers) because you can wear it through multiple different use cases and occasions,” she said.
“We’ve been seeing customers come back again and again for some of these core products in our activewear collection.”
Her remarks came the same day as Roots revealed it lost $5.2 million in its latest quarter compared with a loss of $5.3 million in the same quarter last year.
The company said the second-quarter loss amounted to 13 cents per diluted share for the quarter ended Aug. 3, the same as a year earlier.
In presenting the results, Roach reminded analysts that the first half of the year is usually “seasonally small,” representing just 30 per cent of the company’s annual sales.
Sales for the second quarter totalled $47.7 million, down from $49.4 million in the same quarter last year.
The move lower came as direct-to-consumer sales amounted to $36.4 million, down from $37.1 million a year earlier, as comparable sales edged down 0.2 per cent.
The numbers reflect the fact that Roots continued to grapple with inventory challenges in the company’s Cooper fleece line that first cropped up in its previous quarter.
Roots recently began to use artificial intelligence to assist with daily inventory replenishments and said more tools helping with allocation will go live in the next quarter.
Beyond that time period, the company intends to keep exploring AI and renovate more of its stores.
It will also re-evaluate its design ranks.
Roots announced Friday that chief product officer Karuna Scheinfeld has stepped down.
Rather than fill the role, the company plans to hire senior level design talent with international experience in the outdoor and activewear sectors who will take on tasks previously done by the chief product officer.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
VANCOUVER – Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, are set to resume today as a strike that has stopped most services drags into a second week.
No timeline has been set for the length of the negotiations, but Joe McCann, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they are willing to stay there as long as it takes, even if talks drag on all night.
About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people unable to navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since last Tuesday, pausing service for all but essential medical trips.
Hundreds of drivers rallied outside TransLink’s head office earlier this week, calling for the transportation provider to intervene in the dispute with Transdev, which was contracted to oversee HandyDART service.
Transdev said earlier this week that it will provide a reply to the union’s latest proposal on Thursday.
A statement from the company said it “strongly believes” that their employees deserve fair wages, and that a fair contract “must balance the needs of their employees, clients and taxpayers.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
MONTREAL – Travel company Transat AT Inc. reported a loss in its latest quarter compared with a profit a year earlier as its revenue edged lower.
The parent company of Air Transat says it lost $39.9 million or $1.03 per diluted share in its quarter ended July 31.
The result compared with a profit of $57.3 million or $1.49 per diluted share a year earlier.
Revenue in what was the company’s third quarter totalled $736.2 million, down from $746.3 million in the same quarter last year.
On an adjusted basis, Transat says it lost $1.10 per share in its latest quarter compared with an adjusted profit of $1.10 per share a year earlier.
Transat chief executive Annick Guérard says demand for leisure travel remains healthy, as evidenced by higher traffic, but consumers are increasingly price conscious given the current economic uncertainty.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
