International Tax Planning: The Stop-Loss Rules and Corporate Reorganizations—Interpretive Challenges

Tax rules often present interpretive challenges. One such challenge involves the stop-loss rules, which can suspend the recognition of a loss realized on a transfer of shares between affiliated persons. Continuity rules prevent a suspended loss from being released as a result of certain corporate reorganizations. One continuity rule applies to mergers and combinations, while others apply to certain types of windups. The Canada Revenue Agency recently issued a broad interpretation of the former rule, arguing that in this context a "merger or combination" can include a winding up—even if the woundup corporation has multiple shareholders. In this article, the principles of statutory interpretation are applied to the relevant provisions, to determine their true meaning. This analysis indicates that the continuity rule for mergers and combinations does not apply to windups.