Montréal accountant fined $47,453 for tax evasion

MONTREAL , Feb. 10 /CNW Telbec/ - Maryse Elmalem, of Montréal, pleaded guilty today to tax evasion charges before the Court of Quebec . She was fined $47,453 , which represents 75% of the federal tax she tried to evade.

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) investigation revealed that, for the 2002 to 2005 tax years, Ms. Elmalem voluntarily omitted to declare $293,000 in revenues from her accounting and income tax return preparation business.

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

The CRA pursues tax evaders to maintain public confidence in the integrity of the tax system. Canadians have to trust that our self-assessment system is working and that it is fair.

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. More information on the Voluntary Disclosures Program can be found on the CRA Web site at www.cra.gc.ca/voluntarydisclosures.

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

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

For further information: media: Julie Pronovost, Communications Manager, [phone], ext. 8270, Toll-free: 1-800-292-3430, ext. 8270