Cawston & Associates - Tax Consultants

Meet us in-person at our Calgary office or by phone and online.

Cawston and Associates has been involved in CRA related taxation for over 40 years. Our background includes audit representation, voluntary disclosures, collections, assessments, appeals, bankruptcy representation, and taxpayer relief. We serve Canadians from coast to coast.

We often get asked if we are tax lawyers. The simple answer is no we are not. We are lucky enough to work with some of the best tax lawyers in Calgary on an as needed basis. For most files like payment arrangements, unfiled tax returns, audits, and objections there are no court proceedings. We specialize in handling these files without the need to go to court. In fact, many of our referrals come from tax lawyers who do not want to do this kind of work. The cost to resolve a tax dispute with a tax lawyer can often be more than the actual tax debt under dispute. We work to resolve the issue in a much cheaper and effective manner. It is usually only when we have exhausted all of our normal rights with the Canada Revenue Agency that we recommend bringing in a tax lawyer and taking the CRA to court.

Contact us for a free initial consultation.

Call Us at:

1 (403) 251-5925

COVID-19 and Your Tax Debt

Being a small family business, we understand how difficult of a time this is for everybody. Covid-19 has decimated our way of life. Family’s are suffering, businesses are struggling, and the economic uncertainty is enormous and at times overwhelming.

You may have had tax problems before the pandemic. You may have new tax problems because of the pandemic. With the Canada Revenue Agency being basically closed, it is understandable to also put those tax problems on hold. However, if you have found our website its probably because you are worried enough to look for help.

Eventually the Canada Revenue Agency is going to go back to work. Soon they won’t be giving out benefits, instead they will be taking legal action, auditing Canadians, and enforcing the Income Tax Act. Now is the best time to deal with your tax problems. This is a unique opportunity to get ahead and deal with it before the Canada Revenue Agency is back to its old self.

We are here for you during this time. We can work entirely through phone and email and can accommodate most major video conferencing. We look forward to seeing you in person, at an appropriate social distance, at our Calgary office when we are allowed to do so.

Give us a call and set up your free confidential consultation today.

Calgary tax consultants Bill Wendy Trevor — Bill, Wendy, and Trevor Cawston have over 70 years of combined tax experience.

About Cawston & Associates

70 Years of Canadian Tax Experience – Ready to Serve You.

Head partner William Cawston spent 8 years at the Canada Revenue Agency. During this time he was involved in auditing, collections, assessments, and eventually was promoted to Chief of Taxroll.

William left the CRA to become a small business owner but after many years of good and bad times he decided his true passion was in tax. In 2007 his son Trevor Cawston joined the practice bringing with him practical bankruptcy solutions and corporate administration services. In 2013, Wendy Cawston, former Canadian Income Tax Auditor and Financial Specialist joined the firm. She brings a great deal of tax experience and tax debt financing solutions.

Calgary Tax Accountants and Tax Consultants, What We Do:

As Calgary tax consultants we handle tax issues such as non-filers, which are people who have not filed tax returns and may or may not be prosecuted by CRA.

Tax Services

Cawston and Associates works with accountants, bookkeepers, lawyers, and the Canada Revenue Agency to ensure that you have the most cost effective solutions to your tax problems. Due to our high level of knowledge of tax law and CRA policy we have an extremely high success rate in appeals, and taxpayer relief.

CRA Audits

Feel free to call us to talk about your tax related issues. Alternatively, you may fill out the form below and we will contact you.

Bankruptcy

Before making an assignment in bankruptcy it is important to understand all of your options. If the majority of your debt is tax related we can help make a payment arrangement that works for you. In some cases undergoing taxpayer relief may be another option.

Unfiled Returns

Unfiled Tax & GST Returns

Haven’t filed your tax return in years?

If you haven’t filed your tax returns the Canada Revenue Agency has the ability to assess you on any taxable income and benefits they believe you may have received in the year.

Voluntary Disclosure

The VDP or Voluntary Disclosure Program used to be a program that allowed an average taxpayer the opportunity to come forward and address their tax issues without fear of penalties or prosecution.

Happy Customers

Watch the video on the left of how we turned a massive CRA claim against a Calgary-area rancher into a very large refund.

Below are three more customer testimonials and then click Tax Consultant Reviews for even more.

The insolvency process, while fairly straightforward, is a potential minefield of errors. You can do it yourself, but you will probably miss something that can bite you in the ass and then you will likely stress out about it.

Trevor was instrumental in guiding me through the process and helping me tick the right boxes in the right order. This helped me remain calm and minimize my stress. He helped me calm my spouse, helped me find the right trustee for my situation and was a sounding board for the thoughts I was having and how to tackle things I was unclear about.

He understands the process thoroughly and was always 3 steps ahead of where we were, so when I completed one step, he had the next few ready to go. This helped me understand what I was trying to do at each stage and complete it with confidence. He clearly enjoys helping people get to the other side of their situation and he is extremely good at it. I cannot recommend him highly enough and he is ABSOLUTELY worth the investment.

2022 Anonymous

"If you are faced with the daunting task of resolving a tax problem with the CRA, I strongly recommended Cawston and Associates. In my opinion, Bill and Wendy Cawston are the embodiment of decency and diligence. They are ready and willing to stand up for the little guy."

2017 Client wished to remain anonymous.

To whom it may concern: It is my absolute pleasure to recommend Cawston & Associates Inc. should you require personalized tax advice. Throughout the process of voluntary disclosure, they set my mind at ease with their intimate knowledge of the process and an understanding of my fears.

2016 L.J.

Canada Revenue Agency can block tax evaders from crossing the border

A recent CBC article points out that tax evaders may find it more difficult to cross the border. This is designed as a deterrent for people participating in off-shore tax havens. However, we have seen cases where good people get lumped in with tax evaders simply because the Canada Revenue Agency doesn’t fully understand their position. We can help you if you haven’t filed you taxes in a number of years, made an error on your tax returns, or failed to disclose foreign income or property.