Laval real estate agent found guilty of tax evasion

MONTREAL, July 8 /CNW Telbec/ - Mario Fecteau, a Laval real estate agent, was fined $61,369 yesterday, after pleading guilty last March 29th to tax evasion charges before the Court of Quebec. This fine represents 100% of the federal tax he tried to evade.

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) investigation revealed that, for the 2003 to 2005 tax years, Mr. Fecteau voluntarily omitted to declare $341,008 in commission income from real estate sales.

In addition to the fine imposed by the Court, Mr. Fecteau will have to pay the full amount of taxes evaded plus related interest and any penalties that apply.

The vast majority of Canadians pay their taxes in full and on time. In fairness to them, the CRA has put into place effective and rigorous programs to identify those people who try to avoid paying taxes.

Individuals who have not filed returns for previous years or who have not reported all of their income can still voluntarily correct their tax affairs. They will not be penalized or prosecuted if they make a full disclosure before the CRA takes any action or starts an investigation concerning them. These individuals will only have to pay the taxes owing, plus interest. For more information on the Voluntary Disclosures Program, visit the CRA Web site at www.cra.gc.ca/voluntarydisclosures.

The information in this news release was obtained from the court records.

Further information on convictions can be found on the Media page of the CRA Web site at www.cra.gc.ca/convictions.

For further information: For media: Kareen Dionne, Communications Manager, Telephone: [phone], ext. 8288, Toll-free: 1-800-292-3430, ext. 8288