Gross Negligence

"By contrast, penalties can only be assessed under subsection 163(2) if the conduct of the taxpayer amounts to gross negligence: “Every person who, knowingly, or under circumstances amounting to gross negligence, has made or has participated in, assented to or acquiesced in the making of, a false statement or omission in a return […]” is liable to the penalty imposed under this subsection.\n\nNeglect or carelessness should not be confused with gross negligence.\n\nIn Guindon v. Canada, 2015 SCC 41, the Supreme Court of Canada addressed the issue of whether particular conduct was culpable conduct for the purposes of the preparer penalty imposed under section 163.2 of the Act. The Supreme Court, in addressing that issue, endorsed the following descriptions of gross negligence for the purposes of subsection 163(2) of the Act:\n\n[59] The expressions “shows an indifference as to whether this Act is complied with” and “tantamount to intentional conduct” originated in the jurisprudence on the gross negligence penalty applicable directly to taxpayers in s. 163(2) of the ITA, which states:\n\n(2) Every person who, knowingly, or under circumstances amounting to gross negligence, has made or has participated in, assented to or acquiesced in the making of, a false statement or omission in a return, form, certificate, statement or answer (in this section referred to as a “return”) filed or made in respect of a taxation year for the purposes of this Act, is liable to a penalty of . . . . [Penalty calculations omitted.]\n\n[60] The Minister states in her factum that “culpable conduct” in s. 163.2 of the ITA “was not intended to be different from the gross negligence standard in s. 163(2)”: para. 79. The Federal Court in Venne v. The Queen, [1984] C.T.C. 223 (T.D.), in the context of a s. 163(2) penalty, explained that “an indifference as to whether the law is complied with” is more than simple carelessness or negligence; it involves “a high degree of negligence tantamount to intentional acting”: p. 234. It is akin to burying one’s head in the sand: Sirois (L.C.) v. Canada, 1995 CarswellNat 555 (WL Can.) (T.C.C.), at para. 13; Keller v. Canada, 1995 CarswellNat 569 (WL Can.) (T.C.C.). The Tax Court in Sidhu v. R., 2004 TCC 174, [2004] 2 C.T.C. 3167, explaining the decision in Venne, elaborated on expressions “tantamount to intentional conduct” and “shows an indifference as to whether this Act is complied with”:\n\nActions “tantamount” to intentional actions are actions from which an imputed intention can be found such as actions demonstrating “an indifference as to whether the law is complied with or not”. . . . The burden here is not to prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, mens rea to evade taxes. The burden is to prove on a balance of probability such an indifference to appropriate and reasonable diligence in a self-assessing system as belies or offends common sense. [para. 23]\n\nConduct that would justify the assessment of a gross negligence penalty is conduct that is tantamount to intentional acting. Conduct that would be tantamount to intentional acting to avoid the payment of taxes on money that is withdrawn from a corporation is different from careless or neglectful conduct that results in a person being taxed for receiving a benefit from that corporation in statute-barred years."