Excise Act, 2001

Marginal note:Reference of common questions to Tax Court

• 205 (1) If the Minister is of the opinion that a question arising out of one and the same transaction or occurrence or series of transactions or occurrences is common to assessments or proposed assessments in respect of two or more persons, the Minister may apply to the Tax Court for a determination of the question.

• Marginal note:Contents of application

  (2) An application shall set out

  • (a) the question in respect of which the Minister requests a determination;

  • (b) the names of the persons that the Minister seeks to have bound by the determination of the question; and

  • (c) the facts and reasons on which the Minister relies and on which the Minister based or intends to base assessments of each person named in the application.

• Marginal note:Service

  (3) A copy of the application shall be served by the Minister on each of the persons named in it and on any other person who, in the opinion of the Tax Court, is likely to be affected by the determination of the question.

• Marginal note:Determination by Tax Court of question

  (4) If the Tax Court is satisfied that a determination of a question set out in an application will affect assessments or proposed assessments in respect of two or more persons who have been served with a copy of the application and who are named in an order of the Tax Court under this subsection, it may

  • (a) if none of the persons so named has appealed from such an assessment, proceed to determine the question in any manner that it considers appropriate; or

  • (b) if one or more of the persons so named has or have appealed, make any order joining a party or parties to that or those appeals that it considers appropriate and proceed to determine the question.

• Marginal note:Determination final and conclusive

  (5) Subject to subsection (6), if a question set out in an application is determined by the Tax Court, the determination is final and conclusive for the purposes of any assessments of persons named by the Court under subsection (4).

• Marginal note:Appeal

  (6) If a question set out in an application is determined by the Tax Court, the Minister or any of the persons who have been served with a copy of the application and who are named in an order of the Court under subsection (4) may, in accordance with the provisions of this Act, the Tax Court of Canada Act or the Federal Courts Act, as they relate to appeals from or applications for judicial review of decisions of the Tax Court, appeal from the determination.

• Marginal note:Parties to appeal

  (7) The parties who are bound by a determination are parties to any appeal from the determination.

• Marginal note:Time during consideration not counted

  (8) For the purpose of making an assessment of the person, filing a notice of objection to an assessment or instituting an appeal from an assessment, the periods described in subsection (9) shall not be counted in the computation of

  • (a) the four-year periods referred to in section 191;

  • (b) the period within which a notice of objection to an assessment may be filed under section 195; or

  • (c) the period within which an appeal may be instituted under section 198.

• Marginal note:Excluded periods

  (9) The period that is not to be counted in the computation of the periods described in paragraphs (8)(a) to (c) is the time between the day on which an application that is made under this section is served on a person under subsection (3) and

  • (a) in the case of a person named in an order of the Tax Court under subsection (4), the day on which the determination becomes final and conclusive and not subject to any appeal; or

  • (b) in the case of any other person, the day on which the person is served with notice that the person has not been named in an order of the Tax Court under subsection (4).