Owner of North Van companies hit with $8K fine for failing to file tax returns

The owner of a North Shore-based sustainability education company has been ordered to pay an $8,000 fine for failing to file corporate tax records for several years.

A North Vancouver provincial court judge ordered Barry Fergusson, an officer and director of two training companies, to pay the fine after Fergusson pleaded guilty to eight counts of failing to file corporate tax records.

Each count carries a minimum $1,000 fine under the Income Tax Act.

The charges involve failing to file corporate taxes for Kidnetic Education Inc. and Current Training Solutions Inc. – between 2009 and 2016.

In court, Fergusson told the judge the tax problems came about after he hired a consultant who assured him the returns had been filed and falsified some return documents indicating that. “It came as a bit of a shock when CRA approached me,” he said.

When he searched company records from the relevant time, “a lot of them had gone missing or had been deleted,” said Fergusson, adding it has taken time to find the records and incorporate the financial information into the returns. He added the returns are now almost complete, and he is in the process of winding up the companies.

In addition to the fine, the judge ordered that the missing corporate tax returns be filed by Sept. 1 of this year.