Section 299 — Excise Tax Act: Minister not bound

The Minister is not bound by any return, application or information provided by or on behalf of any person and may make an assessment, notwithstanding any return, application or information so provided or that no return, application or information has been provided. Liability under this Part to pay or remit any tax, penalty, interest or other amount is not affected by an incorrect or incomplete assessment or by the fact that no assessment has been made. An assessment, subject to being vacated on an objection or appeal under this Part and subject to a reassessment, shall be deemed to be valid and binding. Where a person (referred to in this subsection as the “body”) that is not an individual or a corporation is assessed in respect of any matter, the assessment is not invalid only because one or more other persons (each of which is referred to in this subsection as a “representative”) who are liable for obligations of the body did not receive a notice of the assessment; the assessment is binding on each representative of the body, subject to a reassessment of the body and the rights of the body to object to or appeal from the assessment under this Part; and an assessment of a representative in respect of the same matter is binding on the representative subject only to a reassessment of the representative and the rights of the representative to object to or appeal from the assessment of the representative under this Part on the grounds that the representative is not a person who is liable to pay or remit an amount to which the assessment of the body relates, the body has been reassessed in respect of that matter or the assessment of the body in respect of that matter has been vacated. An assessment shall, subject to being reassessed or vacated as a result of an objection or appeal under this Part, be deemed to be valid and binding, notwithstanding any error, defect or omission therein or in any proceeding under this Part relating thereto. An appeal from an assessment shall not be allowed by reasons only of an irregularity, informality, omission or error on the part of any person in the observation of any directory provision of this Part.