Stevan Novoselac
Stevan Novoselac is the Canadian co-leader of Gowling WLG's Tax Dispute Resolution team, an integral part of the firm's Tax Group. With more than 30 years' experience, he has been listed as a Tax Controversy Leader in Canada for each of the last nine years by World Tax, in association with the International Tax Review, and has been recognized as a leader in his field by Best Lawyers in Canada in 2020 and 2021.
Stevan helps taxpayers across Canada resolve all kinds of tax disputes, including voluntary disclosures, requirements for information, audits, objections, appeals, collections issues, taxpayer relief applications, rectification orders and remission orders.
Stevan has successfully resolved disputes for taxpayers on a wide range of issues, including tax avoidance, the general anti-avoidance rule, permanent establishment, tax shelters, interest deductibility, SR&ED claims, charitable status, retirement compensation arrangements, directors’ liability, shareholder benefits and group tax appeals. He resolves tax disputes with the Canada Revenue Agency as well as provincial and other taxation authorities. Where tax disputes are not resolved at the administrative level, Stevan represents taxpayers at all levels of court.
Stevan frequently offers his expertise to national media outlets on matters related to tax dispute resolution and has contributed op-ed pieces to The Globe & Mail and other publications. Some recent examples are as follows:
- "Tax Court catches up on back taxes," Investment Executive (interview)
- "Big or small fish, anyone is bait for a CRA tax review," BNN Bloomberg
- CRA: No deals for Panama Papers tax evaders, The Business News, BNN (interview)
- "Clients, tax and caution," Investment Executive (guest column)
- Interview on tax enforcement strategies vis-à-vis the Panama Papers leak, The Arlene Bynon Show, Sirius XM Canada
- "Will the CRA change its enforcement in wake of Panama Papers?" The Globe & Mail (op-ed)
- "Global dragnet puts pressure on tax evaders as year-end deadlines loom," The Globe & Mail (provided comment)
- "Why you should voluntarily disclose offshore investments," The Globe & Mail (op-ed)
He has also presented seminars on tax dispute resolution to CFOs, tax directors, general counsel and tax advisers and accounting professionals, including the ICAO Practitioners’ PD Conference. In May 2016, he participated in a Gowling WLG-hosted webinar entitled International Tax Crackdown: What you need to know about the new reality.
Stevan is also active in the community, serving on the boards of directors of two charities and one not-for-profit corporation.