E-7286: Petition to the Government of Canada — Canadian Petition Tracker
Canonical URL: https://petitiontracker.ca/petition/e-7286
Track petition E-7286 — "Petition to the Government of Canada" sponsored by Rob Morrison. 93 signatures and counting. See signature growth trends and provincial breakdown on PetitionTracker.ca.
Petition Text
Petition to the Government of Canada
Whereas:
• Marriage in Canada is a civil contract governed by federal and provincial law. The state neither requires nor recognizes any religious dimension;
• As a purely civil contract, marriage is legally and functionally identical to a business partnership;
• Its dissolution mirrors a partnership wind-up, involving asset division, liability settlement, and ongoing financial obligations;
• Participation in family court proceedings is involuntary. Canadians cannot opt out without severe legal and financial consequence;
• Legal fees incurred dissolving a business partnership are tax deductible as legitimate transaction costs;
• Legal fees incurred dissolving a marriage, an identical legal and financial process, receive no equivalent tax treatment;
• Divorce is one of the leading causes of financial devastation for Canadians of all incomes, and legal costs are directly proportional to the assets being divided;
• This inconsistency creates an inequitable and unprincipled distinction in the Income Tax Act with no justifiable basis;
We, the undersigned, citizens of Canada,, call upon the Government of Canada to Amend the Income Tax Act to allow both parties in a divorce or legal separation to deduct legitimate legal fees from taxable income, recognizing these as involuntary transaction costs arising from the dissolution of a civil contract.