The provincial courts fined Victoria businessman Philip LeSeur $8,000 for failing to file a number of business tax returns between 2006 to 2009.
LeSeur pleaded guilty on Jan. 7 to failing to file corporate income tax returns and financial information. The regulatory charges are in relation to the companies Victoria Prime Steakhouse Ltd., Bear Mountain Village Market Ltd. and Nirvana Land Development Ltd., along with two numbered companies.
LeSeur had past involvement with Bear Mountain, related to development. LeSeur is not an employee of Bear Mountain Land Holdings, the current owners of the Langford development, although he has provided historical information on a consulting basis in the past for the company.
According to Canada Revenue Agency, tax returns were not filed for all of the businesses for the 2008 and 2009 taxation years. Returns were not filed for Nirvana Land Developments and a numbered company for 2007, and the other numbered company failed to file a return for 2006 and 2007.
All returns have now been filed. LeSeur has six months to pay the $8,000 fine.
“When taxpayers are convicted of failing to file tax returns,” states a Canada Revenue Agency press release, “in addition to any fines imposed by the courts, they must still file the returns and pay the full amount of taxes owning, plus interest owed, as well as any civil penalties that may be assessed.”