Toronto lawyer fined for failing to file tax returns

Toronto, Ontario, January 17, 2013… The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) announced today that in two separate judgments on January 10 and January 11, 2013, Speros Kanellos, of Thornhill, Ontario, pleaded guilty to 25 counts of failing to file tax returns for various periods between 1999 and 2007. He was fined a total of $28,000 and was given twelve months to pay the fines. All returns have since been filed.

On January 10, 2013, in the Ontario Court of Justice in Toronto, Ontario, Mr. Kanellos pleaded guilty and was fined $1,000 per count for failing to file GST/HST quarterly returns, resulting in a total fine of $22,000 on 22 counts. On January 11, 2013, in the Ontario Court of Justice in Newmarket, Ontario, Kanellos pleaded guilty and was fined $2,000 per count of failing to file personal T1 returns, for a total of $6,000 on 3 counts.

Mr. Kanellos, also known as Speros Constantine Gus Kanellos, is a self-employed lawyer. CRA pursued two simultaneous prosecutions of Mr. Kanellos in order to have him comply with his respective GST/HST and T1 filing obligations. This was only achieved after CRA laid charges in each case.

The preceding information was obtained from the court records.

When individuals or corporations are convicted of failing to file tax returns, in addition to any fines imposed by the courts, they are still obligated to file the tax return and pay the full amount of taxes owing, plus interest, as well as any civil penalties that may be assessed by the CRA.

Taxpayers who have not filed returns for previous years, or who have not reported all of their income, can still voluntarily correct their tax affairs. They may not be penalized or prosecuted if they make a valid disclosure before they become aware of any compliance action being initiated by the CRA against them. These taxpayers may only have to pay the taxes owing, plus interest. More information on the Voluntary Disclosures Program (VDP) can be found on the CRA's Web site at www.cra.gc.ca/voluntarydisclosures.

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

Canada Revenue Agency

This a a reproduction copy of an official work that is published by the Government of Canada and that the reproduction has not been produced in affiliation with, or with the endorsement of the Government of Canada.