Appendix
Dr. Brian Hurd Dentistry Professional Corporation versus Her Majesty the Queen, 2017 TCC 142(“the Hurd case”)
In this case, the judge ruled that Dr. Hurd had not met the documentation requirements under the administrative agreement but also rejected the long-standing administrative agreement in its entirety, describing it as “incorrect and misleading” and concluding that an orthodontist made only a single supply of an exempt dental service and therefore was not eligible to claim any ITCs. While the CRA, indicated an intention to apply the Dr. Hurd decision going forward, there has been little in the way of formal communication on this issue since 2017.
Dr. Kevin L. Davis Dentistry PC v. Queen, 2021 TCC 25 (“the Davis case”)
In the Davis case, a recent challenge to the CRA's administrative position on ITCs, the orthodontist entered into a “financial agreement” with his patients that set out a total treatment fee. It specifically stated:
The CRA initially denied Dr. Davis ITCs on the basis that his documentation did not meet the requirements set out in the administrative agreement, but subsequently argued (no doubt on the basis of the Dr. Hurd decision) that Dr. Davis made only a single supply of exempt dental services, and did not make a separate supply of zero-rated orthodontic appliances.
In its decision, the court reached two important conclusions:
- First, that Dr. Davis did indeed make two separate supplies, one of exempt dental services and a separate supply of zero-rated orthodontic appliances. Of key importance was a change to the GST/HST legislation made in 1997 to create a specific zero-rating provision for orthodontic appliances indicating a clear intention of Parliament to recognize that an orthodontic practice included making separate supplies of zero-rated orthodontic appliances, and it was therefore not necessary to undertake a further analysis on the issue of single vs. multiple supplies.
- Second, the judge found that Dr. Davis' ‘financial agreement' met the documentation requirements of the original administrative agreement since it set out both the total treatment fee and the portion of the total fee that represented the consideration for the zero-rated orthodontic appliances and thus the amount of consideration paid for the appliances was sufficiently clear.
The information in this publication is current as of August 25, 2021.
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