Excise Act, 2001 (S.C. 2002, c. 22)

Marginal note:Garnishment

• 289. (1) If the Minister has knowledge or suspects that a person is, or will be within one year, liable to make a payment to another person who is liable to pay an amount under this Act (in this section referred to as a “debtor”), the Minister may, by notice in writing, require the person to pay without delay, if the money is immediately payable, and in any other case, as and when the money becomes payable, the money otherwise payable to the debtor in whole or in part to the Receiver General on account of the debtor’s liability under this Act.

• Marginal note:Garnishment of loans or advances

  (2) Without limiting the generality of subsection (1), if the Minister has knowledge or suspects that within 90 days

  • (a) a bank, credit union, trust company or other similar person (in this section referred to as the “institution”) will loan or advance money to, or make a payment on behalf of, or make a payment in respect of a negotiable instrument issued by, a debtor who is indebted to the institution and who has granted security in respect of the indebtedness, or

  • (b) a person, other than an institution, will loan or advance money to, or make a payment on behalf of, a debtor who the Minister knows or suspects

    • (i) is employed by, or is engaged in providing services or property to, that person or was or will be, within 90 days, so employed or engaged, or

    • (ii) if that person is a corporation, is not dealing at arm’s length with that person,

  the Minister may, by notice in writing, require the institution or person, as the case may be, to pay in whole or in part to the Receiver General on account of the debtor’s liability under this Act the money that would otherwise be so loaned, advanced or paid.

• Marginal note:Effect of receipt

  (3) A receipt issued by the Minister for money paid as required under this section is a good and sufficient discharge of the original liability to the extent of the payment.

• Marginal note:Effect of requirement

  (4) If the Minister has, under this section, required a person to pay to the Receiver General on account of the liability under this Act of a debtor money otherwise payable by the person to the debtor as interest, rent, remuneration, a dividend, an annuity or other periodic payment, the requirement applies to all such payments to be made by the person to the debtor until the liability under this Act is satisfied, and operates to require payments to the Receiver General out of each such payment of any amount that is stipulated by the Minister in a notice in writing.

• Marginal note:Failure to comply

  (5) Every person who fails to comply with a requirement under subsection (1) or (4) is liable to pay to Her Majesty an amount equal to the amount that the person was required under that subsection to pay to the Receiver General.

• Marginal note:Other failures to comply

  (6) Every institution or person that fails to comply with a requirement under subsection (2) with respect to money to be loaned, advanced or paid is liable to pay to Her Majesty an amount equal to the lesser of

  • (a) the total of money so loaned, advanced or paid, and

  • (b) the amount that the institution or person was required under that subsection to pay to the Receiver General.

• Marginal note:Assessment

  (7) The Minister may assess any person for any amount payable under this section by the person to the Receiver General and, if the Minister sends a notice of assessment, sections 188 to 205 apply with any modifications that the circumstances require.

• Marginal note:Time limit

  (8) An assessment of an amount payable under this section by a person to the Receiver General shall not be made more than four years after the notice from the Minister requiring the payment was received by the person.

• Marginal note:Effect of payment as required

  (9) If an amount that would otherwise have been advanced, loaned or paid to or on behalf of the debtor is paid by a person to the Receiver General in accordance with a notice from the Minister issued under this section or with an assessment under subsection (7), the person is deemed for all purposes to have advanced, loaned or paid the amount to or on behalf of the debtor.

Marginal note:Recovery by deduction or set-off

290. If a person is indebted to Her Majesty under this Act, the Minister may require the retention by way of deduction or set-off of any amount that the Minister may specify out of any amount that may be or become payable to that person by Her Majesty.

Marginal note:Acquisition of debtor’s property

291. For the purpose of collecting debts owed by a person to Her Majesty under this Act, the Minister may purchase or otherwise acquire any interest in the person’s property that the Minister is given a right to acquire in legal proceedings or under a court order or that is offered for sale or redemption, and may dispose of any interest so acquired in any manner that the Minister considers reasonable.

Marginal note:Money seized from debtor

• 292. (1) If the Minister has knowledge or suspects that a person is holding money that was seized by a police officer in the course of administering or enforcing the criminal law of Canada from another person who is liable to pay any duty, interest or other amount under this Act (in this section referred to as the “debtor”) and that is restorable to the debtor, the Minister may in writing require the person to turn over the money otherwise restorable to the debtor, in whole or in part, to the Receiver General on account of the debtor’s liability under this Act.

• Marginal note:Receipt of Minister

  (2) A receipt issued by the Minister for money turned over is a good and sufficient discharge of the requirement to restore the money to the debtor to the extent of the amount so turned over.

Marginal note:Seizure — failure to pay duty, etc.

• 293. (1) If a person fails to pay duty, interest or other amount as required under this Act, the Minister may in writing give 30 days notice to the person, addressed to their last known address, of the Minister’s intention to direct that the person’s things be seized and disposed of. If the person fails to make the payment before the expiry of the 30 days, the Minister may issue a certificate of the failure and direct that the person’s things be seized.

• Marginal note:Disposition

  (2) Things that have been seized under subsection (1) shall be kept for 10 days at the expense and risk of the owner. If the owner does not pay the amount due together with all expenses within the 10 days, the Minister may dispose of the things in a manner the Minister considers appropriate in the circumstances.

• Marginal note:Proceeds of disposition

  (3) Any surplus resulting from a disposition, after deduction of the amount owing and all expenses, shall be paid or returned to the owner of the things seized.

• Marginal note:Exemptions from seizure

  (4) Anything of any person in default that would be exempt from seizure under a writ of execution issued by a superior court of the province in which the seizure is made is exempt from seizure under this section.

Marginal note:Person leaving Canada or defaulting

• 294. (1) If the Minister suspects that a person has left or is about to leave Canada, the Minister may, before the day otherwise fixed for payment, by notice to the person served personally or sent by registered or certified mail addressed to their last known address, demand payment of any amount for which the person is liable under this Act or would be so liable if the time for payment had arrived, and the amount shall be paid without delay despite any other provision of this Act.

• Marginal note:Seizure

  (2) If a person fails to pay an amount required under subsection (1), the Minister may direct that things of the person be seized, and subsections 293(2) to (4) apply, with any modifications that the circumstances require.

Marginal note:Liability of directors

• 295. (1) If a corporation fails to pay any duty or interest as and when required under this Act, the directors of the corporation at the time it was required to pay the duty or interest are jointly and severally or solidarily liable, together with the corporation, to pay the duty or interest and any interest that is payable on the duty or interest under this Act.

• Marginal note:Limitations

  (2) A director of a corporation is not liable unless

  • (a) a certificate for the amount of the corporation’s liability has been registered in the Federal Court under section 288 and execution for that amount has been returned unsatisfied in whole or in part;

  • (b) the corporation has commenced liquidation or dissolution proceedings or has been dissolved and a claim for the amount of the corporation’s liability has been proved within six months after the earlier of the date of commencement of the proceedings and the date of dissolution; or

  • (c) the corporation has made an assignment or a receiving order has been made against it under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act and a claim for the amount of the corporation’s liability has been proved within six months after the date of the assignment or receiving order.

• Marginal note:Diligence

  (3) A director of a corporation is not liable for a failure under subsection (1) if the director exercised the degree of care, diligence and skill to prevent the failure that a reasonably prudent person would have exercised in comparable circumstances.

• Marginal note:Assessment

  (4) The Minister may assess any person for any amount of duty or interest payable by the person under this section and, if the Minister sends a notice of assessment, sections 188 to 205 apply with any modifications that the circumstances require.

• Marginal note:Time limit

  (5) An assessment of any amount payable by a person who is a director of a corporation shall not be made more than two years after the person ceased to be a director of the corporation.

• Marginal note:Amount recoverable

  (6) If execution referred to in paragraph (2)(a) has issued, the amount recoverable from a director is the amount remaining unsatisfied after execution.

• Marginal note:Preference

  (7) If a director of a corporation pays an amount in respect of the corporation’s liability that is proved in liquidation, dissolution or bankruptcy proceedings, the director is entitled to any preference to which Her Majesty would have been entitled had the amount not been so paid, and if a certificate that relates to the amount has been registered, the director is entitled to an assignment of the certificate to the extent of the director’s payment, which assignment the Minister is empowered to make.

• Marginal note:Contribution

  (8) A director who satisfies a claim under this section is entitled to contribution from the other directors who were liable for the claim.

Marginal note:Compliance by unincorporated bodies

• 296. (1) If any duty, interest or other amount is required to be paid or any other thing is required to be done under this Act by a person (in this section referred to as the “body”) that is not an individual, a corporation or a partnership, it shall be the joint and several or solidary liability and responsibility of

  • (a) every member of the body holding office as president, chairperson, treasurer, secretary or similar officer of the body,

  • (b) if there are no such officers of the body, every member of any committee having management of the affairs of the body, and

  • (c) if there are no such officers of the body and no such committee, every member of the body,

  to pay that amount of duty, interest or other amount or to comply with the requirement, and if the amount is paid or the requirement is fulfilled by an officer of the body, a member of such a committee or a member of the body, it shall be considered as compliance with the requirement.

• Marginal note:Assessment

  (2) The Minister may assess any person for any amount for which the person is liable under this section and, if the Minister sends a notice of assessment, sections 188 to 205 apply with any modifications that the circumstances require.

• Marginal note:Limitation

  (3) An assessment of a person shall not

  • (a) include any amount that the body was liable to pay before the person became jointly and severally or solidarily liable;

  • (b) include any amount that the body became liable to pay after the person ceased to be jointly and severally or solidarily liable; or

  • (c) be made more than two years after the person ceased to be jointly and severally or solidarily liable unless the person was grossly negligent in the carrying out of any duty or obligation imposed on the body by or under this Act or made, or participated in, assented to or acquiesced in the making of, a false statement or omission in a return, application, form, certificate, statement, invoice or answer made by the body.