Excise Tax Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. E-15)

Marginal note:Evidence of filing

• 106 (1) In any proceedings under or in respect of this Act or the regulations, the production of a return, report, certificate, statement or answer required by or under this Act or the regulations, purporting to have been made, signed or filed by or on behalf of a person, is, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, proof that the return, report, certificate, statement or answer was made, signed or filed by or on behalf of that person.

• Marginal note:Evidence of document

  (2) In any proceedings under or in respect of this Act or the regulations,

  • (a) a document purporting to be, or purporting to be a copy of or an extract from, a record, book, account, voucher, writing, document or thing inspected, provided or produced pursuant to section 98, 99 or 107 and purporting to be certified by the person by whom it was inspected or to whom it was provided or produced or by an officer of the Agency, and

  • (b) a document purporting to be certified by an officer of the Agency and setting out the amount of any tax, interest, penalty or other sum paid or payable by any named person or the amount of any payment under this Act paid or payable to any named person

  is evidence of the facts appearing in the document without proof of the signature or official character of the person appearing to have signed the certificate.

Marginal note:Presumption

• 106.1 (1) Every document purporting to be an order, direction, notice, certificate, requirement, decision, determination, assessment, discharge of mortgage or acquittance of a hypothecary claim or other document and purporting to have been executed under, or in the course of the administration or enforcement of, this Act or the regulations over the name in writing of the Minister, the Deputy Minister of National Revenue, the Commissioner of Customs and Revenue, the Commissioner or an officer authorized by the Minister to exercise his or her powers or perform his or her duties or functions under this Act is deemed to be a document signed, made and issued by the Minister, Deputy Minister, Commissioner of Customs and Revenue, the Commissioner or the officer, unless called into question by the Minister or by some person acting for the Minister or Her Majesty.

• Marginal note:Presumption

  (1.1) Every document purporting to be an order, a direction, a notice, a certificate, a requirement, a decision, a determination, an assessment, a discharge of mortgage or an acquittance of a hypothecary claim or other document and purporting to have been executed under, or in the course of the administration or enforcement of, this Act or the regulations over the name in writing of the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, the President of the Canada Border Services Agency or an officer authorized by that Minister to exercise his or her powers or perform his or her duties or functions under this Act is deemed to be a document signed, made and issued by that Minister, the President or the officer, unless called into question by that Minister or by some person acting for that Minister or Her Majesty.

• Marginal note:Mailing or sending date

  (2) For the purposes of this Act, a notice referred to in subsection 72(6), 81.13(1), 81.15(5) or 81.17(5) that is sent to a person is, in the absence of any evidence to the contrary, deemed to have been sent on the day appearing from the notice to be the date thereof, unless called into question by the Minister or by some person acting for him or Her Majesty.

• Marginal note:Idem

  (3) Where a notice referred to in subsection 72(6), 81.13(1), 81.15(5) or 81.17(5) is sent by the Minister as required by this Act, the determination, assessment or decision to which the notice relates shall be deemed to have been made on the day on which the notice is sent.

• Marginal note:Date electronic notice sent

  (3.1) For the purposes of this Act, if a notice or other communication in respect of a person, other than a notice or other communication that refers to the business number of a person, is made available in electronic format such that it can be read or perceived by a person or a computer system or other similar device, the notice or other communication is presumed to be sent to the person and received by the person on the date that an electronic message is sent, to the electronic address most recently provided before that date by the person to the Minister for the purposes of this subsection, informing the person that a notice or other communication requiring the person’s immediate attention is available in the person’s secure electronic account. A notice or other communication is considered to be made available if it is posted by the Minister in the person’s secure electronic account and the person has authorized that notices or other communications may be made available in this manner and has not before that date revoked that authorization in a manner specified by the Minister.

• Marginal note:Date electronic notice sent — business account

  (3.2) For the purposes of this Act, a notice or other communication in respect of a person that is made available in electronic format such that it can be read or perceived by a person or computer system or other similar device and that refers to the business number of a person is presumed to be sent to the person and received by the person on the date that it is posted by the Minister in the secure electronic account in respect of the business number of the person, unless the person has requested, at least 30 days before that date, in a manner specified by the Minister, that such notices or other communications be sent by mail.

• Marginal note:Idem

  (4) Every form purporting to be a form prescribed by the Minister under this Act shall be deemed to be a form prescribed by the Minister under this Act, unless called into question by the Minister or by some person acting for him or Her Majesty.

Marginal note:Inquiries

• 107 (1) Any person designated by the Minister may conduct any inquiry or investigation in matters relating to this Act, and any person so authorized has all the powers and authority of a commissioner appointed under Part I of the Inquiries Act.

• Marginal note:Summoning witnesses

  (2) A person designated to conduct an inquiry or investigation under subsection (1) may, for the purpose thereof, issue a summons to any person in any part of Canada requiring him to appear at the time and place mentioned therein, to testify to all matters within his knowledge relating to the subject-matter of the inquiry or investigation and to bring with him and produce any document, book or paper that he has in his possession or under his control relating to the subject-matter of the inquiry or investigation.

• Marginal note:Travel expenses

  (3) Reasonable travel expenses shall be paid to any person summoned under subsection (2) at the time of the service of the summons.

• Marginal note:Punishment

  (4) Every person who

  • (a) fails, without valid excuse, to attend an inquiry or investigation as required under this section,

  • (b) fails to produce any document, book or paper in his possession or under his control, as required under this section, or

  • (c) at any inquiry or investigation under this section

    • (i) refuses to be sworn, to affirm or to declare, as the case may be, or

    • (ii) refuses to answer any proper question put to him by the person conducting the inquiry or investigation,

  is guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine of not less than twenty dollars and not more than four hundred dollars.

108 [Repealed, 2014, c. 20, s. 89]

Marginal note:Penalty for collecting excess sums

109 Every one liable under this Act to pay to Her Majesty any of the taxes imposed by this Act, or to collect the taxes on Her Majesty’s behalf, who collects, under colour of this Act, any sum of money in excess of such sum as he is hereby required to pay to Her Majesty shall pay to Her Majesty all moneys so collected and shall in addition be liable to a penalty not exceeding five hundred dollars.

Marginal note:Time limited for prosecution

110 An information or complaint under the provisions of the Criminal Code relating to summary convictions, in respect of an offence under this Act, may be laid or made on or before a day three years from the time when the matter or the information or complaint arose or within one year from the day on which evidence, sufficient in the opinion of the Minister to justify a prosecution for the offence, came to his knowledge, and the Minister’s certificate as to the day on which the evidence came to his knowledge is conclusive evidence thereof.

Marginal note:Action against officers

• 111 (1) No writ shall be issued against, nor any process served on, any officer for any thing done or purporting to be done in the exercise of his duty as an officer until one month after notice in writing has been served on him, in which notice shall be clearly and explicitly stated the cause of action, the name and place of residence of the person who intends to bring action and the name of his attorney, solicitor or agent.

• Marginal note:Evidence

  (2) No evidence of any cause of action shall be produced except of such cause of action as is contained in the notice, and no verdict or judgment shall be given for the plaintiff, unless he proves on the trial that the notice was given, in default of which proof the defendant is entitled to a verdict or judgment and costs.

Marginal note:Time and place of action

• 112 (1) Every action referred to in subsection 111(1) shall be brought within three months after the cause thereof arose and shall be laid and tried in the place or district where the acts complained of were committed.

• Marginal note:Defendant’s plea

  (2) The defendant in an action may plead the general issue and give the special matter in evidence.

• Marginal note:Costs

  (3) If the plaintiff in an action is non-suited or discontinues the action, or if, on demurrer or otherwise, judgment is given against the plaintiff, the defendant may recover costs and have such remedy for the costs as any defendant has in other cases where costs are given.

Marginal note:Officer may tender amends

113 Any officer or person against whom any action is brought under this Act on account of anything done, or purporting to be done, under the authority of this Act may, within one month after the notice referred to in subsection 111(1) has been served, tender amends to the person complaining or his agent and plead the tender in bar or answer to the action, together with other pleas or defences, and if the court or jury, as the case may be, finds the amends sufficient, a judgment or verdict shall be given for the defendant, and in that case, or if the plaintiff is non-suited or discontinues his action, or judgment is given for the defendant on demurrer or otherwise, the defendant is entitled to the like costs as he would have been entitled to in case he had pleaded the general issue only, but the defendant may, by leave of the court in which the action is brought, at any time before issue is joined, pay money into court as in other actions.

Marginal note:If defendants acted on probable cause

114 If, in any action under this Act, the court or judge before whom the action is tried certifies that the defendant or defendants in the action acted on probable cause, the plaintiff in the action is not entitled to more than twenty cents damages or to any costs of suit.

Marginal note:Punishment

• 115 (1) Notwithstanding any other statute or law, the court in any prosecution, suit or proceeding under this Act has no power to impose less than the minimum punishment prescribed by this Act and the court has no power to suspend sentence.

• Marginal note:Information

  (2) An information or complaint in respect of a contravention of this Act may be for one or more offences and no information, complaint, warrant, conviction or other proceeding in respect of an offence or offences is objectionable or insufficient on the ground that it relates to two or more offences.

Marginal note:Incorrect statements as to use

• 116 (1) Where a purchaser of goods from a wholesaler, producer, manufacturer or importer has incorrectly stated or certified that the goods were intended for a use rendering them exempt from tax under any provision of this Act, the wholesaler, producer, manufacturer or importer, as the case may be, is entitled to recover from the purchaser the taxes paid by him under this Act in respect of those goods.

• Marginal note:Idem

  (2) Where a purchaser of transportation by air from an air carrier has incorrectly stated or certified that the transportation by air was intended for a use rendering the transportation exempt from tax under Part II, the air carrier is entitled to recover from the purchaser the taxes paid by the air carrier under that Part in respect of that transportation by air.

• Marginal note:Idem

  (3) Where a person who acquires a taxable service from a licensee under Part II.1 or II.2 has incorrectly stated or certified that the service was intended for a use rendering the service exempt from tax under that Part, the licensee is entitled to recover from that person the taxes paid or remitted by the licensee under that Part in respect of the amount charged for the service.

• Marginal note:Liability where purchaser’s statement or certificate incorrect

  (4) Where a manufacturer or wholesaler holding a licence granted under or in respect of Part III or VI has purchased goods from another such licensed manufacturer or licensed wholesaler and has incorrectly stated or certified that the goods were being purchased for a use or under conditions rendering the sale of the goods exempt from any tax imposed by Part III or VI,

  • (a) the purchaser and not the manufacturer or wholesaler from whom the goods were purchased is liable to pay the tax and any interest under subsection 79.03(1), if

    • (i) the statement or certificate is in writing, and

    • (ii) the manufacturer or wholesaler from whom the goods were purchased establishes that he acted with due care and diligence in relying on the statement or certificate of the purchaser; and

  • (b) in any other case, the purchaser and the manufacturer or wholesaler from whom the goods were purchased are jointly and severally liable to pay the tax and any interest under subsection 79.03(1).