I came across this and am now reading. I am posting the “Conclusions” of “FATCA and FBAR Reporting by Individuals: Enforcement Considerations from a Canadian Perspective” by Andrew Bonham in the link below in case others are interested and haven’t yet come across this.
Canadian Tax Journal, Vol. 60, no. 2, 2012
CONCLUSIONSDespite the increasing trend toward judicial comity, the revenue rule and the penal/public-law rule are still the law of the land. With respect to the enforcement of FBAR fines and penalties, since the BSA is not a taxing statute, the revenue rule would not apply, and ultimately any application or action brought by the United States for FBAR enforcement in a Canadian court would be barred by operation of the penal rule. A similar action brought for enforcement of FATCA claims would be barred by both rules.
This leaves the matter of the impact of the assistance-in-collection provisions of the Canada-US tax treaty. Again, since the BSA is not a taxing statute, FBAR collection claims would not fall under the provisions of the treaty. The issue of FATCA individual reporting claims is more problematic. Continue reading
