Keybrand Foods – Tax Court of Canada finds that if A controls de facto B and C, B controls de facto C

The taxpayer and its parent (BWS) were guarantors of loans to an unrelated corporation (Vidabode) which had defaulted on loans from GE Capital.

Jorré DJ found that the taxpayer was entitled to deduct interest on a bank loan that it took out to on-lend on an interest-bearing basis to Vidabode in order for Vidabode to obtain GE Capital’s agreement to extend the period for remedying the default. He stated that at that point “the survival of Vidabode was still a possibility.” However, two months later, the taxpayer borrowed a larger sum in connection with subscribing for and acquiring common shares of Vidabode in order inter alia to fund the repayment by Vidabode of the GE Capital loans. The interest on this borrowing was non-deductible. Jorré DJ stated that at the time of this second borrowing:

the reasonable expectation … was that the company would quickly collapse. That is not consistent with a reasonable expectation of income.

A second issue was whether the taxpayer could claim an allowable business investment loss on its share investment in Vidabode. After that investment, each of it and BWS held about 40% of the Vidabode shares and BWS was party to a shareholders’ agreement with the second largest (34%) Vidabode shareholder providing that BWS would appoint two of the four directors and the chairman, who would have a casting vote. In finding that this meant that the taxpayer did not deal at arm’s length with Vidabode, so that no ABIL could be claimed, Jorré DJ stated:

The practical effect of the casting vote is the same as if BWS has the power to name three out of five directors.

… Silicon Graphics … is met. BWS had de facto control of Vidabode. It follows that BWS and Vidabode do not deal at arm’s length and, in turn, because BWS and the Appellant do not deal at arm’s length, the Appellant and Vidabode do not deal at arm’s length.

Neal Armstrong. Summaries of Keybrand Foods Inc. v. The Queen, 2019 TCC 161 under s. 20(1)(c)(i) and s. 251(1)(c).