Vancouver Tax Lawyer

Vancouver and British Columbia tax matters

CRA audits, objections, Tax Court of Canada appeals, and voluntary disclosures are federal, so we represent Vancouver-area clients by phone, by video, and in person on request. We do not run a staffed walk-in office in Vancouver; meetings are arranged when a file warrants one.

Local CRA offices and courts

The CRA Vancouver Tax Services Office and the Fraser Valley office handle a large share of Lower Mainland audit and objection work, and the Tax Court of Canada sits regularly in Vancouver, so a Lower Mainland appeal is heard locally. The Federal Court of Canada also convenes in Vancouver for judicial-review matters. The 90-day objection deadline and the one-year extension window apply in full; missing those dates is the most common way a winnable dispute is lost.

British Columbia tax considerations

BC's provincial layer is distinctive. Unlike Ontario and Alberta, BC retains a Provincial Sales Tax (PST) administered by the province, which is separate from federal GST/HST and generates its own audits and disputes. BC also runs several real-estate-focused measures: the Speculation and Vacancy Tax, the Additional Property Transfer Tax on certain foreign buyers, and the Vancouver Empty Homes Tax at the municipal level. These provincial and municipal measures often overlap with federal capital-versus-income and residency questions on the same property. Corporate documentation runs under the BC Business Corporations Act, and December-31 provincial residency determines which province's rates and credits apply.

Common Vancouver issues we see

The Lower Mainland's real-estate market drives much of the caseload: capital-versus-income reassessments on flips and short holds, principal-residence claims, the 2023 anti-flipping rule, and HST/GST New Housing Rebate disputes on new construction and presale assignments. Speculation-and-vacancy and foreign-buyer-tax disputes are common, as are residency determinations for clients with international ties. Cross-border (Canada–U.S.) work is significant given the region's proximity to Washington State — departure-tax planning, FIRPTA on U.S. real estate, and foreign-reporting compliance. Owner-managed businesses also face GST/HST audits and director's-liability exposure.

Where federal and BC measures overlap

Vancouver property files are unusual because federal income tax and several provincial and municipal measures can apply to the same property in the same year. A condo sold within a short hold can attract a federal capital-versus-income reassessment and an anti-flipping-rule application, while the same owner may have been paying the provincial Speculation and Vacancy Tax and the Vancouver Empty Homes Tax during the holding period, and may have paid the Additional Property Transfer Tax on acquisition if a foreign buyer. These measures are administered by different bodies on different timelines, but they share underlying facts — occupancy, residency, and intention — so a coordinated response keeps the positions consistent and avoids admissions in one forum that hurt in another.

How the CRA dispute process runs

A Vancouver federal dispute moves from audit to reassessment to a notice of objection filed with the CRA Appeals branch within 90 days, with a one-year extension window on recognized grounds. If Appeals confirms the assessment, the appeal proceeds to the Tax Court of Canada, which sits regularly in Vancouver under its informal or general procedure. Provincial PST and real-estate-measure disputes follow their own provincial objection routes. Because CRA collections can act while a dispute is open, we coordinate a collections-hold approach with the objection where enforcement is a live concern.

How we work with Vancouver clients

We start with a confidential consultation by phone or video. We review the CRA correspondence, identify the deadlines, set out the options, and confirm scope and fees in writing. We coordinate with your existing Vancouver accountant where helpful and represent clients in the Tax Court of Canada in Vancouver when a file proceeds to a hearing.