Each year, the Canada Revenue Agency participates in a roundtable discussion organized by the Canadian Tax Foundation (CTF) where CRA officials respond to questions submitted by tax practitioners. The 2025 roundtable provided meaningful guidance on several evolving areas of Canadian tax administration, giving taxpayers and advisors insight into how CRA is interpreting and enforcing current rules.
Here are the most significant takeaways from the 2025 CRA Annual Roundtable that are relevant to Calgary businesses and individual taxpayers.
One of the most-discussed topics at the 2025 roundtable was how CRA classifies and tracks digital asset transactions. CRA reaffirmed that cryptocurrency dispositions — including trading one crypto for another, using crypto to purchase goods or services, and receiving crypto as payment for work — are taxable events that must be reported.
CRA indicated it continues to receive third-party data from Canadian crypto exchanges operating under FINTRAC reporting obligations. Taxpayers who have not reported crypto gains in prior years should consider the Voluntary Disclosures Program before CRA contacts them. The agency was clear that cryptocurrency is not eligible for capital gains treatment simply because the holder intends it as a long-term investment — the nature of the activity determines whether gains are business income or capital gains.
CRA clarified its expectations around platform-based income reporting. Digital platforms operating in Canada — ride-sharing, delivery, freelance marketplaces — are increasingly subject to DAC7-style reporting requirements, and CRA noted it is actively cross-referencing T4A slips issued by platforms against reported income on T1 returns.
Taxpayers who earn income through online platforms must report this income regardless of whether they receive a T4A slip. CRA confirmed that the absence of a slip does not excuse non-reporting. For gig workers earning over $30,000 annually, GST/HST registration requirements also apply.
CRA officials addressed questions about the principal residence exemption (PRE) and confirmed that property flips — including situations where a home is purchased, renovated, and sold within a short period — are being scrutinized under the new anti-flipping rules that came into force for properties sold after January 1, 2023. Properties held for less than 365 days are deemed business income (fully taxable), not capital gains.
CRA also reiterated that the PRE cannot shelter profits from properties that were never genuinely used as a primary residence, including vacation properties rented for most of the year.
CRA outlined several compliance areas receiving heightened audit attention heading into the 2025-2026 cycle:
| Audit Focus Area | Key Risk Factor |
|---|---|
| Cryptocurrency | Exchange data cross-referencing |
| Real estate flips | Properties sold within 365 days |
| Foreign income | T1135 non-filing |
| SR&ED claims | Non-traditional sectors |
| Gig economy income | Platform T4A cross-matching |
CRA confirmed that it is accelerating the shift to electronic-only correspondence for businesses registered in My Business Account. Starting in 2025, corporations and many self-employed individuals who have not opted out of online mail will no longer receive paper notices. This has practical implications: taxpayers must ensure their My Account and My Business Account profiles are current, and that a representative (such as a tax firm) is authorized to receive notices if the owner is not monitoring the portal actively.
Missing a Notice of Assessment or a request for information because of outdated CRA account settings is not an acceptable excuse for late responses, and penalties and interest accrue regardless.
Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) credits remain one of the most valuable tax incentives for Canadian businesses. CRA used the roundtable to remind claimants that time-tracking documentation for employees working on SR&ED projects is essential. Estimates based on project phases are acceptable only when contemporaneous records exist. Reconstructed records prepared at filing time — without supporting emails, meeting notes, or project management data — are routinely denied on audit.
The CRA Roundtable is one of the most useful windows into CRA's current thinking — but interpreting and applying these positions to your specific circumstances requires experience and judgment. Positions clarified at the roundtable often affect planning decisions you may have already made, making a year-end review with a tax professional especially valuable.
Our tax team reviews roundtable outcomes each year and proactively advises clients on how administrative changes might affect their existing tax strategies. If you have questions about how any of these topics apply to your situation, we're happy to discuss.