Majority of Canadians would not Report a Tax Cheat
If you are
the type of person who isn't always honest when it comes to filling out your
tax forms, then you might just get away with it if you live in Canada,
according to a recent survey by H&R Block Canada, a Canadian firm that
prepares taxes for Canadians and expats/immigrants.
The survey
was carried out on the firm's behalf by Leger's online panel. The revealing
survey showed the Canadian's rather relaxed attitude to taxation matters, and
the majority of the participants stated that while they would not consider
cheating themselves, they wouldn't be informing the tax man if they know
somebody who had cheated on a tax form, either.
Research
showed that just over half of Canadians - 53% of them - would keep quite if they
knew someone had cheated, and just 27% of those surveyed said that they would
report a tax evader to the Canada Revenue Agency.
However,
when it came to handling their own tax affairs, Canadians stated that they
would be far more honest. 72% of those surveyed would contact the tax man if
they thought that they had made an error on their return. 31% of residents in
Quebec said that they would keep quiet if they got an unexpected gift from the
tax man in the form of an overpayment, and in Ontario, 24% said that they would
not confess to the tax man if they received an overpayment in error.
Further data
from the survey also threw up some interesting results. For example, one in
five Canadians know someone who has not been entirely honest on their tax
returns; men were more likely than women to know someone who had cheated.
Men were
also more likely to ignore it if they knew someone was cheating their taxes;
people over 55 were also more likely to do the same. 60% of men and the over
55s said they would keep quiet if they knew a tax cheat.
59% of
people also believed that if someone would cheat on their tax returns, then
they might also be tempted to cheat on expenses, but felt that those cheating
their taxes were otherwise honest individuals.
Finally, a
word of caution: whether you are a Canadian resident, or are due to immigrate
there, it is best not to take such a laid back attitude towards your tax
returns. If you did get caught out, the penalties are pretty harsh, and it not
recommended that anyone put knowingly false information on their tax returns.
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