from the giants of Big Tech, domestic industry groups such as the Council of Canadian Innovators have long expressed frustration at what they see as preferable treatment of foreign multinationals at the expense of domestic economic development.
“As Amazon continues to invest in Canada, we make changes to our corporate structure to ensure we are in the best position to serve our local customers and selling partners, including our close to 40,000 Canadian employees and the almost 40,000 Canadian third-party sellers that sell their products in Amazon stores,” company spokesperson Kristin Gable told The Globe by e-mail this month. “This is a common practice for businesses of all sizes. Our tax payments reflect our investments in Canada.
Neither Canada Revenue Agency nor spokespeople for National Revenue Minister Diane Lebouthillier responded to requests for comment on the weekend. Earlier this month, CRA said it could not comment on Amazon’s operations, but that all resident corporations must file an annual return if they have carried on business in this country, had a taxable capital gain or sold taxable Canadian property, even if they don’t owe anything to the agency.