Birtle lawyer receives fine and conditional sentence for tax evasion

Winnipeg, Manitoba, May 12, 2016… Brian Langford, of Birtle, Manitoba, was found guilty of tax evasion in Manitoba Provincial Court in Winnipeg. He was ordered to serve a conditional jail sentence of 15 months and fined $99,053. The fine represents 100% of the total federal income tax he attempted to evade.

He will have to pay all federal taxes owing, plus related interest, any penalties that apply, and the court-imposed fine. The court provided Mr. Langford with 72 months to pay his fines.

A Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) investigation showed that, for the 2004 to 2010 tax years, Mr. Langford voluntarily contravened the Income Tax Act by failing to report a total of $622,820 in income on his income tax returns. Mr. Langford also under-reported the amount of goods and services tax to be remitted by $39,647 for the years 2004 to 2008.

Mr. Langford had argued unsuccessfully before the court that the federal government did not have the right to impose direct taxation on income earned in Manitoba. He claimed that the federal government did not have the authority under the British North America Act to tax him and by doing so it was in violation of the Canadian Constitution.

All case-specific information above was obtained from the court records.

There are people who promote the idea that individuals can choose to not comply with the Income Tax Act. This information is incorrect. The CRA is concerned that individuals who mistakenly confuse opinions with facts may expose themselves to serious financial and legal problems if they fail to comply with the Income Tax Act and other tax laws. For more information, please see the CRA’s “Debunking Tax Myths” web page, at www.cra-arc.gc.ca/nwsrm/myths/menu-eng.html.

If you have ever made a tax mistake or omission, the CRA is offering you a second chance to make things right through its Voluntary Disclosures Program (VDP). If you make a valid disclosure before you become aware that the CRA is taking action against you, you may only have to pay the taxes owing plus interest. More information on the VDP can be found on the CRA's web site at www.cra.gc.ca/voluntarydisclosures.

Further information on convictions can be found in the Media Room on the CRA website at www.cra.gc.ca/convictions.

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For media information

Marie Tichborne
Manager of Communications
204 983-2336

Date modified:

2016-05-13