When you need an expert, it makes sense to pay for one. What does not make sense is for you to pay that expert to do something that you are happy doing yourself. Tax law is complicated but all law is meant to be written for the public to know their rights and obligations so if the Government have drafted the legislation properly, everyone should be able to represent themselves comfortably. In reality, the convulted plethora of rules we have can be a little daunting and for clients who want to represent themselves but just need some guidance or help, I have unbundled my services to lower the fees involved. You can see how this works in my savings example. The biggest difference between this and my other services is that I do not speak to the CRA on your behalf and all applications are sent and signed by you and not in my name. I just provide behind the scenes support to give you an additional lawyer of protection to help you feel confident your understanding of the law and procedure is correct. This allows you to make informed decisions about which areas you might need legal assistance with and what you are comfortable doing yourself so you can control your legal fees by only paying for help on specific issues.

Once you decide you want to represent yourself, the starting point of my unbundled services is my Detailed Case Evaluation. This basically means I speak to you about your case, look at your documents and then give you an opinion letter explaining what I think you need to do to resolve your situation and give you tips on what to include in any applications you need to file. If you still need help after this or already know what you need to do, I can be available to you through my Document Drafting Services, Case Law Research and Telephone and Email Support.

For many people, the high traditional legal fees involved in arguing with the CRA can quickly add up to more than the amount in dispute. If this is a concern for you, don’t just give up. It is possible to reduce costs and still successfully argue your case. There are many free guides and information available on the internet and I have personally contributed over 100 articles to the Taxpayers Advocate Inc. website to help taxpayers. Do not accept an incorrect tax assessment just because you are concerned of the cost of legal representation.