By Canadian Press

B.C. man sentenced to 29 months, fined nearly $645K for tax evasion, forgery

Feb 26, 2021 | 11:34 AM

VANCOUVER — The Canada Revenue Agency says a West Vancouver man has been sentenced to 29 months in jail and handed a stiff fine for attempting to avoid a tax bill.

Court records show Michael Sholz was sentenced Wednesday in provincial court in Vancouver.

Sholz, who is in his late 60s, was convicted in June 2020 of three tax-related offences under the Excise Tax Act and two counts of uttering forged documents related to ownership and construction of a West Vancouver home.

A statement from the agency says, in addition to the jail term, Sholz has been fined $644,975.71.

The statement says an investigation showed Scholz forged documents to support ineligible tax credits linked to the home’s ownership, construction and design and also forged a lease agreement that would have lowered the assessed value of the home, reducing taxes owed.

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The Canada Revenue Agency says there were 32 tax fraud convictions across the country between April 2019 and March 2020, with 13 taxpayers jailed for a total of 18.5 years for wilfully evading payment of $7.4 million in taxes.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 26, 2021.

The Canadian Press