Dealing with CRA
84,000 audits in 2024–25.
Enforcement is not slowing down.
CRA completed roughly 84,000 audits in the 12 months to March 31st, 2025 — up 22% from the prior year. Verification disputes, instalment interest, late-filed returns, objection deadlines, penalties: these are the areas where costly mistakes are made and often repeated. This session walks through the full lifecycle of a taxation year; a period that can run four to five years.
Outside
What CRA Sees & Does
- trending_upInstalments & tax payments
- descriptionReturns & forms
- fact_checkAssessments & verifications
- manage_searchAudits & objections
- gavelPenalties & interest
Inside
Professional Work
- calendar_monthPlanning & scheduling
- folder_openDocumentation
- forumClient interaction
- shieldResearch & audit defence
- lightbulbDecisions that determine outcomes
Thursday, June 11 · 12:00 PM ET
Meet Your Presenters
Michael Cadesky
Michael Cadesky is the managing partner at Cadesky Tax and a committed contributor to the tax and accounting professions since 1980, earning the title of Fellow from CPA Ontario. He is a past governor of the Canadian Tax Foundation, past chair of STEP Canada and STEP Worldwide, and past chair of the CPA Canada Tax Committee for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises. Michael is also the co-author of 11 books on tax subjects and the author or co-author of numerous papers and articles on Canadian and international taxation.
Hugh Woolley
Hugh Woolley is an independent tax consultant who has taught income tax for over 30 years for many professional organizations. Hugh has written courses for CPA Canada and over 10 papers for the Canadian Tax Foundation and STEP Canada. From 1990–1992 he worked at the CRA's Rulings Directorate in Ottawa writing "butterfly" tax rulings. Hugh is a past Governor of the Canadian Tax Foundation.
See how experienced tax professionals interact with CRA from the inside out and leave with a framework you can apply in your own practice immediately.
DEALING WITH CRA
Will the seminar be recorded?
Yes. The recording will be uploaded after the live session, allowing you to watch it anytime. Slides will also be provided. Please note that registration is still required to access the recording.
Does this seminar provide CPD?
Yes. You will receive a verifiable CPD certificate for 2.5 hours of instructional learning upon completion.
Is this seminar online or in-person?
Dealing with CRA is hosted online. You can join live from any device with internet access. The session ends with a live Q&A.
Is there a cost to attend?
Yes. Registration is $225 per person and includes access to the live session, slides, recording, and CPD certificate.
CRA AUDIT ACTIVITY SURVEY
Introduction
Our income tax system is based on self assessment. You are expected to know the rules, file accurately and on time, pay tax when due and keep appropriate records in support.
It is integral to this system that a certain amount of verification be done for several valid reasons. Among these are that while most people voluntarily comply in good faith, some inevitably do not. Reasons vary greatly from innocent errors and lack of understanding of complex rules to sophisticated plans to avoid or even evade tax.
Letting people know that we are keeping an eye on you is one way to suppress non-compliance. Another way is threat of penalties, sometimes severe ones. Expanded reporting draws attention to potential areas of non-compliance.
In all of this, certain principles emerge which are timeless. The presumption of honesty, good faith and fairness. A balance between what must be reported and its relevance, and the costs to do so. A rationalization of the compliance burden in time required and costs involved. The principle of giving a taxpayer certainty in their tax position and ultimate closure of a taxation year.
Do we have the balance right?
Our survey of CPAs who answered our questionnaire on these subjects suggests that we don't have the balance right.
Have a look below.
The results are not necessarily statistically valid nor do they profess to represent the views of the profession as a whole. The survey may contain a bias in that people who suffered a bad result may have a greater tendency to answer while others who had no particular issues found it less compelling to express their views.