Copthorne’s legacy: The future of Canada’s GAAR

International Tax Review is part of Legal Benchmarking Limited, 1-2 Paris Garden, London, SE1 8ND

Copyright © Legal Benchmarking Limited and its affiliated companies 2026

Accessibility | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Modern Slavery Statement

Copthorne’s legacy: The future of Canada’s GAAR

Taxpayers awaited the Supreme Court of Canada’s (SCC) verdict in Copthorne with anxious anticipation in December, hoping for a roadmap to help ensure they don’t fall foul of the country’s GAAR. Joe Dalton investigates what the decision means for tax planning and how taxpayers can undertake an action with no business purpose, purely to achieve a tax benefit, without this being seen as an abuse of the Income Tax Act.

Unlock this content.

The content you are trying to view is exclusive to our subscribers.

To unlock this content:

Request Access or Login
more across site & shared bottom lb ros

More from across our site

As pillar two reshapes global tax competition, the UK faces a crucial challenge: how to remain attractive to multinationals without sacrificing tax revenues
Pillar two may be raising less than expected, but professor René Matteotti says the regime is still changing multinational tax behaviour
Multinationals importing goods into Brazil may need to align TP files and customs documentation more closely as authorities gain new tools to challenge related-party transactions
The private equity-backed deal hands Grant Thornton immediate and impressive US scale, but World Tax data suggests the firm still has work to do to gain recognition
From Instagram content to £100m transactions, the founder of Thomas & Co International discusses building a modern tax and accounting firm for business founders
Growing GAAR scrutiny is driving taxpayers to look beyond legal form and demonstrate the commercial rationale underpinning tax-efficient structures
Pillar two has been clients’ ‘biggest headache’ but also a driver of growth for MHA, which believes it has the edge over its big four rivals
Public country-by-country reporting is exposing multinational tax data to investors, journalists and competitors, creating fresh risks for businesses
Pillar two compliance is creating unprecedented data demands for multinational tax departments, making closer collaboration with FP&A teams essential for accurate reporting and audit readiness
Among the arrivals is Andrew Howell, who leaves scandal-hit PwC Australia after representing PepsiCo in a high-profile TP dispute
Gift this article