Excise Tax Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. E-15)

Marginal note:Copies

• 291. (1) If any document is seized, inspected, audited, examined or provided under any of sections 276 and 288 to 290, the person by whom it is seized, inspected, audited or examined or to whom it is provided or any officer of the Agency may make or cause to be made one or more copies of it and, in the case of an electronic document, make or cause to be made a print-out of the electronic document, and any document purporting to be certified by the Minister or an authorized person to be a copy of the document, or to be a print-out of an electronic document, made under this section is evidence of the nature and content of the original document and has the same probative force as the original document would have if it were proven in the ordinary way.

• Marginal note:Compliance

  (2) No person shall, physically or otherwise, do or attempt to do any of the following:

  • (a) interfere with, hinder or molest any official (in this subsection having the same meaning as in section 295) doing anything the official is authorized to do under this Part, or

  • (b) prevent any official from doing anything the official is authorized to do under this Part

  and every person shall, unless the person is unable to do so, do everything the person is required to do by or pursuant to subsection (1) or any of sections 288 to 290 and 292.

Meaning of “foreign-based information or document”

• 292. (1) For the purposes of this section, “foreign-based information or document” means any information or document that is available or located outside Canada and that may be relevant to the administration or enforcement of this Part, including the collection of any amount payable or remittable under this Part by any person.

• Marginal note:Requirement to provide foreign-based information

  (2) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Part, the Minister may, by notice served personally or by registered or certified mail, require a person resident in Canada or a non-resident person who carries on business in Canada to provide any foreign-based information or document.

• Marginal note:Notice

  (3) A notice referred to in subsection (2) shall set out

  • (a) a reasonable period of time of not less than ninety days for the provision of the information or document;

  • (b) a description of the information or document being sought; and

  • (c) the consequences under subsection (8) to the person of the failure to provide the information or document being sought within the period of time set out in the notice.

• Marginal note:Review of foreign information requirement

  (4) The person on whom a notice of a requirement is served under subsection (2) may, within ninety days after the service of the notice, apply to a judge for a review of the requirement.

• Marginal note:Powers on review

  (5) On hearing an application under subsection (4) in respect of a requirement, a judge may

  • (a) confirm the requirement;

  • (b) vary the requirement if satisfied that it is appropriate in the circumstances; or

  • (c) set aside the requirement if satisfied that it is unreasonable.

• Marginal note:Idem

  (6) For the purposes of subsection (5), a requirement to provide information or a document shall not be considered to be unreasonable because the information or document is under the control of or available to a non-resident person that is not controlled by the person served with the notice of the requirement under subsection (2) if that person is related to the non-resident person.

• Marginal note:Time during consideration not to count

  (7) The period of time between the day an application for the review of a requirement is made under subsection (4) and the day the review is decided shall not be counted in the computation of

  • (a) the period of time set out in the notice of the requirement; and

  • (b) the period of time within which an assessment may be made under section 296 or 297.

• Marginal note:Consequence of failure

  (8) If a person fails to comply substantially with a notice served under subsection (2) and if the notice is not set aside under subsection (5), any court having jurisdiction in a civil proceeding relating to the administration or enforcement of this Part shall, on motion of the Minister, prohibit the introduction by that person of any foreign-based information or document covered by that notice.