Section 222 — Excise Tax Act: Trust for amounts collected

Subject to subsection (1.1), every person who collects an amount as or on account of tax under Division II is deemed, for all purposes and despite any security interest in the amount, to hold the amount in trust for Her Majesty in right of Canada, separate and apart from the property of the person and from property held by any secured creditor of the person that, but for a security interest, would be property of the person, until the amount is remitted to the Receiver General or withdrawn under subsection (2). Subsection (1) does not apply, at or after the time a person becomes a bankrupt (within the meaning of the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act ), to any amounts that, before that time, were collected or became collectible by the person as or on account of tax under Division II. A person who holds tax or amounts in trust by reason of subsection (1) may withdraw from the aggregate of the moneys so held in trust the amount of any input tax credit claimed by the person in a return under this Division filed by the person in respect of a reporting period of the person, and any amount that may be deducted by the person in determining the net tax of the person for a reporting period of the person, as and when the return under this Division for the reporting period in which the input tax credit is claimed or the deduction is made is filed with the Minister. Despite any other provision of this Act (except subsection (4)), any other enactment of Canada (except the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act ), any enactment of a province or any other law, if at any time an amount deemed by subsection (1) to be held by a person in trust for Her Majesty is not remitted to the Receiver General or withdrawn in the manner and at the time provided under this Part, property of the person and property held by any secured creditor of the person that, but for a security interest, would be property of the person, equal in value to the amount so deemed to be held in trust, is deemed to be held, from the time the amount was collected by the person, in trust for Her Majesty, separate and apart from the property of the person, whether or not the property is subject to a security interest, and to form no part of the estate or property of the person from the time the amount was collected, whether or not the property has in fact been kept separate and apart from the estate or property of the person and whether or not the property is subject to a security interest and is property beneficially owned by Her Majesty in right of Canada despite any security interest in the property or in the proceeds thereof and the proceeds of the property shall be paid to the Receiver General in priority to all security interests. For the purposes of subsections (1) and (3), a security interest does not include a prescribed security interest.