Charlottetown painting contractor fined for not filing GST returns

Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, September 29, 2009... A Charlottetown painting contractor, Michael Allan MacDonald, pleaded guilty yesterday in Charlottetown Provincial Court to two charges of failing to file annual GST returns.

MacDonald was charged with failing to file GST returns for 2006 and 2007. He was fined $2,000 on each charge for a total of $4,000 and was given one year to pay or spend 62 days in jail. The missing returns have now been filed. This is MacDonald's second offense. In 2001, he was fined for failing to file a personal tax return.

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) made several requests for the missing returns before serving notices demanding that the returns be filed. Failure to comply with these notices resulted in charges being laid. The missing GST returns have since been filed.