Tax Court Rejects GLGI Donation Appeal Due to Donative Intent Issue
📌 In brief
In this case, the Tax Court dismissed an appellant’s appeal concerning donations made through the a person program because the court found no evidence of genuine charitable intent. This ruling highlights the importance of demonstrating true charitable intent for tax purposes.
⚖️ Legal holding
An appellant must demonstrate new facts or arguments that overcome the issue of donative intent in order for an appeal not to be struck.
📖 Technical summary
The claimant's appeal regarding a person donations was struck without leave to amend due to lack of donative intent.
📜 Headnote Official document
The Tax Court struck the claimant's appeal regarding donations made through the Global Learning and Gifting Initiative (GLGI) due to a lack of donative intent. The decision emphasized judicial economy and finality.
📚 Full judgment Official document
OUTCOME: Struck Out
Docket: 2022-1610(IT)G BETWEEN: [APPELLANT] Appellant, and HIS [NAME] THE [NAME], Respondent . Motion determined by Written Submissions Before: The Honourable Justice David E. Graham Participants : For the Appellant: [redacted] Counsel for the Respondent: [redacted] The appeals of the reassessments of the Appellant’s 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 taxation years are struck without leave to amend. Costs in the appeal are awarded to the Respondent. Signed this 22nd day of May 2026. “[RESPONDENT]. [RESPONDENT]” [NAME] J. Citation: 2026 TCC 92 Date: 20260522 Docket: 2022-1610(IT)G BETWEEN: [NAME] [APPELLANT], Appellant, and HIS [NAME] THE [NAME], Respondent.
REASONS FOR [RESPONDENT]. [ 1 ] By order dated March 19, 2026, I gave eleven [NAME] who had participated in the [NAME[NAME] (“[NAME]”) the chance to explain why their appeals should not be struck without leave to amend for abusing the Court’s process. [ 2 ] One of those [NAME] withdrew his appeal. One conceded the [NAME] portion of his appeal. One did not respond by the deadline and, as a result, I have struck his appeal without leave to amend. [ 3 ] The remaining eight [NAME] all filed written submissions. None of them satisfied me that they would be raising new facts or new arguments that could somehow overcome what I described in my Order as the donative intent problem. Similarly, none of them satisfied me that their appeal involves some other issue over which the Court has jurisdiction. They simply made the same stale arguments that have failed in this Court time and again – arguments that it would be an abuse of this Court’s process to allow to proceed. [ 4 ] I will address the specific arguments raised by the Appellant, [NAME] [APPELLANT], below. A. Donative Intent [ 5 ] Mr. [APPELLANT] argues that he is a good person who cares about others in his community and that he has previously made donations to charities. He says he believed [NAME] was helping others. [NAME] [NAME] who have appeared before the Court have made these same arguments. They do not work. [ 6 ] Donative intent is determined on a donation-by-donation basis. Mr. [APPELLANT]’s general character and previous charitable gifts are irrelevant to the question of whether he had donative intent in respect of his purported [NAME] donations of approximately $85,000 from 2007 to 2013, just as his lack of donative intent in [NAME] would have been irrelevant to the validity of the $28 in legitimate gifts that the Reply indicates the Minister allowed in those years. [ 7 ] [NAME] [NAME] frequently tell the Court that they have previously made charitable donations. What these [NAME] fail to mention is that the charities that received those donations gave them receipts for the amount of cash they donated, not an amount three to eight times greater than that. They came away from those donations poorer, not richer. [ 8 ] In summary, Mr. [APPELLANT] has not satisfied me that his appeal raises any new facts or arguments that could overcome the donative intent issue. B. Other Arguments [ 9 ] Mr. [APPELLANT] raises a number of other arguments. None of them is new. I will address them briefly. Personal Circumstances [ 10 ] Mr. [APPELLANT] wants the chance to explain his personal circumstances to a trial judge. The question the Court has to decide is whether Mr. [APPELLANT] had donative intent. His physical health, age and financial circumstances are irrelevant to that question. [ADDRESS] does not have the power to waive or reduce a person’s taxes because of their personal circumstances. Due Diligence [ 11 ] Mr. [APPELLANT] says that he knows little about tax, that he was referred to [NAME] by an accountant who appeared to him and his co-workers to be a very smart man and that he was not wilfully blind or grossly negligent. In other words, he says he was duly diligent. [ 12 ] Mr. [APPELLANT] has not asserted that the reassessments were issued beyond the normal reassessment period or that he was assessed gross negligence penalties.
Accordingly, his due diligence or lack thereof in deciding to participate in [NAME] is irrelevant. Failure to Warn [ 13 ] Mr. [APPELLANT] says that the CRA failed to warn [NAME] about [NAME]. As I stated in [NAME] v. The Queen , “the CRA’s actions in warning or failing to warn [NAME] about the [NAME] tax shelter are irrelevant to determining the validity or correctness of the Appellant’s reassessments. Either the Appellant’s donations were valid or they were not. No warning or lack thereof will change this.” [1] CRA Actions [ 14 ] Mr. [APPELLANT] says that the CRA took too long to process his objection. As I also stated in [NAME] v. The Queen , “[t]he Tax Court's role in an income tax appeal is to determine whether the assessment is valid and correct based on the relevant facts and the provisions of the Income Tax Act . The Minister's conduct during the audit or objection process is irrelevant to that determination. That conduct is not a ground upon which the Court can allow an appeal.” [2] [ADDRESS] [ 15 ] Mr. [APPELLANT] asserts that it would be unfair to deprive him of his day in Court but he does not explain why other than that he wants the chance to make the above arguments. He does not address the concerns I set out in my Order concerning consistency, judicial economy or finality. [ 16 ] As I stated in my Order, the fact that Mr. [APPELLANT] has not personally had a chance to make the same arguments about the same facts is far outweighed by the potential risks to the integrity of the judicial system of allowing his appeal to continue. C. Conclusion [ 17 ] Based on all of the foregoing, Mr. [APPELLANT]’s appeal is struck without leave to amend. Costs are awarded to the Respondent. Signed this 22nd day of May 2026. “[RESPONDENT]” [NAME]. [NAME]: 2026 TCC 92 COURT FILE NO.: 2022-1610(IT)G STYLE OF CAUSE: [NAME] [APPELLANT] v. HIS [NAME] THE [NAME] OF HEARING: Motion determined by Written Submissions
REASONS FOR
JUDGMENT BY: The Honourable Justice David E. Graham DATE OF
JUDGMENT: May 22, 2026 PARTICIPANTS: For the Appellant: [redacted] Counsel for the Respondent: [redacted] COUNSEL OF RECORD: For the Appellant: [redacted] n/a Firm: n/a For the Respondent: [redacted] Ottawa, Canada [1] 2022 TCC 31, at para. 22. [2] 2022 TCC 31, at para. 13 [footnote omitted].
📊 How courts decide similar cases
Among 12 similar decisions in this collection:
- Tax Court of Canada Tax Court Strikes Donation Program Appeal
- Tax Court of Canada Tax Appeal Struck: Importance of Clear Inventory Adjustments Explained
- Tax Court of Canada Claimant’s Tax Appeal Struck Due to Lack of Donative Intent
- Tax Court of Canada Tax Court Rejects Appeal Due to Poorly Formatted Notice
- Tax Court of Canada GLGI Donation Appeal Struck Down for Lack of Donative Intent
- Tax Court of Canada Tax Appeal Dismissed: No Donative Intent Found
- Tax Court of Canada Taxpayer’s Appeal Struck Out Over Donation Program Participation
- Tax Court of Canada Tax Court Strikes Appeal Due to Abuse of Process
- Tax Court of Canada Tax Court Rejects FAPI Arguments in Appeals
- Tax Court of Canada Tax Appeal Struck Due to Mootness in Tax Court
- Tax Court of Canada Tax Court Strikes Portion of Donation Program Appeal
A snapshot of this collection — not a prediction of your case's outcome.
⚖️ What tends to weigh in cases like this
❌ Tends to be rejected
- The appellant failed to present new facts or arguments that overcome previously identified legal issues.
- The appellant did not demonstrate genuine charitable intent in their donation program participation.
- The appellant's arguments about donative intent were considered stale and had been previously rejected by the court.
- The appellant did not clearly set out the facts, issues, and reasons supporting their appeal in a properly formatted document.
- The taxpayer failed to state what inventory adjustments they believed were entitled to make, the year(s) applicable, and the rationale behind it.
Patterns observed in similar cases in this collection — every case is unique.
❓ Frequently asked questions
What did this decision decide?
The claimant's appeal regarding donations through the Global Learning and Gifting Initiative (GLGI) was struck out due to a lack of donative intent.
Who was involved?
A taxpayer who participated in the GLGI donation program and the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).
How did the court decide, and why?
The court decided that the claimant's appeal should be struck out because it failed to present new facts or arguments regarding donative intent.
Which laws or rules were applied?
No specific tax laws were cited in this decision; however, the case focused on the concept of donative intent.
What was the argument that mattered most?
The claimant's failure to demonstrate genuine charitable intent for their GLGI donations was crucial.
Was the decision for or against the person who brought the case?
Against the claimant, as their appeal was struck out.
What does this mean for someone in a similar situation?
Individuals must demonstrate genuine charitable intent to avoid having their tax appeals dismissed.
What evidence or documents mattered?
The court did not specify any particular evidence; the focus was on the lack of new arguments regarding donative intent.
Can a decision like this be appealed?
Yes, but it would depend on whether there are grounds to challenge the Tax Court's ruling on judicial economy and finality.
Is it worth getting a lawyer for a case like this?
It is advisable to consult with a qualified tax lawyer to understand your rights and options.
