6 Kawartha Lakes tax and accounting engagements in full — what the client came to us with, what we did, and what it was worth. Each one is specific to Kawartha Lakes and its provincial tax regime, not a general example.
Case Study 1 · Planning that cut the bill
$34,500 Cut From The Annual Tax Bill — Financial Planning Practice, Kawartha Lakes
Client: A financial planning practice · Where: Kawartha Lakes, Ontario · Engagement: 10 weeks, fixed fee
First-year saving$34,500
RepeatsAnnually
Filing positionUnchanged in risk
The situation
A financial planning practice in Kawartha Lakes, Ontario was compliant but paying more than it needed to. The prior year had been filed correctly and still left instalments still calculated on a year the business had long outgrown on the table.
What we did
We modelled the current position against the alternatives before changing anything, then rebuilt the sales ledger by customer location, applied the correct place-of-supply rate to each stream, and filed the adjusted HST returns.
The result
The change saved $34,500 in the first year and repeats annually. Nothing about the filings became more aggressive; the position is simply the one the rules already allowed.
Case Study 2 · CRA review defended
$60,000 Proposed Adjustment Withdrawn In Full — Data Analytics Consultancy, Kawartha Lakes
Client: A data analytics consultancy · Where: Kawartha Lakes, Ontario · Engagement: 5 weeks, fixed fee
Adjustment withdrawn$60,000
File closed in5 weeks
Penalties assessedNone
The situation
A data analytics consultancy in Kawartha Lakes, Ontario received a proposal letter opening a review of its on tax and accounting file. The CRA had identified 13% HST charged on every sale regardless of where the customer was located and proposed an adjustment of $60,000, with 30 days to respond.
What we did
We treated the response as an evidence exercise rather than an argument. We recalculated the corporate tax at the 12.2% combined small business rate and rebased the instalments on the current year, then indexed every supporting document against the specific line the auditor had questioned.
The result
The proposed adjustment was withdrawn in full — all $60,000 of it. The file closed in 5 weeks with no change to the assessed amounts and no penalty.
Case Study 3 · Sale and succession
Intergenerational Transfer Completed With $600,000 Deferred — Recruitment Firm, Kawartha Lakes
A generational transfer at a recruitment firm in Kawartha Lakes, Ontario had been discussed for years without a plan. No valuation on file to support the price the parties had agreed meant the transfer as contemplated would have been fully taxable.
What we did
We registered the provincial payroll account, caught up the outstanding remittances, and applied for relief on the penalty, sequencing the steps so each one was complete and documented before the next depended on it.
The result
$600,000 of tax was deferred through the transfer, and the successor generation took over a corporation whose records stood up to review.
A pharmacy in Kawartha Lakes, Ontario was carrying a provincial payroll levy that had never been registered for or remitted, and every option for fixing it ran through a reorganisation that had to be done without triggering tax.
What we did
Working with the client's lawyer, we assessed and claimed Ontario Innovation Tax Credit alongside the federal return and prepared the elections, resolutions and valuations the structure needed to stand up.
The result
The structure now matches the business. Annual saving of $70,000, and the reorganisation itself was tax-neutral.
Case Study 5 · Deadline rescue
Filed On Time From A Standing Start, $145,000 Penalty Avoided — Textile Manufacturer, Kawartha Lakes
A textile manufacturer in Kawartha Lakes, Ontario came to us 7 weeks before its filing deadline with sector-specific exposure the previous accountant had not seen before. A late filing would have triggered a penalty of roughly $145,000 before interest.
What we did
We worked backwards from the deadline. We assessed and claimed Ontario Made Manufacturing Investment Tax Credit alongside the federal return, prioritising the items that actually gated the filing and deferring everything that did not.
The result
The return was filed on time and complete. The $145,000 penalty never arose, and the compliance calendar we set means the next deadline is scheduled rather than discovered.
Client: A boutique law firm · Where: Kawartha Lakes, Ontario · Engagement: 3 weeks, fixed fee
Overpayment refunded$36,000
Late remittances sinceZero
ScheduleAutomated
The situation
Remittances at a boutique law firm in Kawartha Lakes, Ontario were consistently late by a few days, which was enough to trigger penalties every quarter. Behind it sat instalments still calculated on a year the business had long outgrown.
What we did
We rebuilt the sales ledger by customer location, applied the correct place-of-supply rate to each stream, and filed the adjusted HST returns, then moved the remittance dates into a scheduled process rather than a monthly decision.
The result
Penalties stopped from the following remittance onwards, and $36,000 of overpaid instalments was refunded.
Reviewed for the 2025 tax year by Udit Gupta, Certified Tax Accountant. Figures describe representative engagements of this type; outcomes depend on your own facts. Client names and identifying details are omitted for confidentiality.
