The owner of a heating and air conditioning installation company in Longueuil was sentenced to two years in prison and fined more than $367,000 for tax fraud.
Simon Lévesque, who runs Air Pur Québec, pleaded guilty to tax fraud charges in a verdict that finally came on November 17, Revenu Québec announced on Tuesday.
The 59-year-old is said to have deliberately failed to declare his income and pay taxes amounting to $193,359. He also allegedly failed to declare and remit an amount of $121,741 for Goods and Services Tax (GST) and Quebec Sales Tax (QST).
“During the period from January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2017, the company Air Pur Québec invoiced and collected GST and QST for the products and services it provided, but did not remit them to the tax authorities,” explained Revenu Québec.
In particular, the investigation revealed that Mr Lévesque had issued a false invoice to 110 of his customers so that they could receive a higher ÉcoRenov, LogiRénov or RénoVert tax credit than they were entitled to.
To obtain such a loan, the work must be carried out by a qualified contractor who has a license from the Régie du logement du Québec, which was not the case for Mr. Lévesque and his company.