The services provided by the Tax and Estate Planning Group include:

Taxation Services

• Reorganization of corporate structures to minimize income tax, limit exposure of assets to creditors, reduce income tax that would arise on the death of a shareholder and allow for the introduction of new shareholders
• CRA dispute representation at all levels
• Tax impact analysis in a variety of commercial transactions, including purchase and sale of a business, financing arrangements, license agreements, employee stock option agreements
• Business succession planning and advice
• All matters relating to shareholders’ and partnership agreements
• Establishment of trusts to achieve current or longer-term tax savings and creditor protection
• International taxation issues in cross-border transactions, including the impact of bi-lateral tax treaties and obtaining necessary input from tax professionals in the foreign jurisdiction
• Advice on taxation issues that arise on immigration and emigration of individuals and corporations
• Advice on GST issues that arise in commercial transactions
• Land transfer tax issues

Estate Planning

• Preparation of wills
• Freezing of estate assets in order to minimize taxation arising on death
• Establishment of family trusts to achieve current tax savings, maintain control and flexibility in an estate freeze, ensure Family Law Act protection and planning for tax efficient distributions of assets
• Succession of family business planning
• Avoidance and/or minimization of probate fees
• Preparation of domestic contracts to protect specific assets
• Determination of tax-efficient use of life insurance in a variety of circumstances, including the buy-out of business partners, facilitating succession of a family business and providing liquidity to pay capital gains tax arising on death
• Foreign tax issues, including the impact of U.S. estate tax
• Tax-efficient planning for charitable donations during lifetime and in wills
• Avoidance of double taxation that would otherwise arise on death