TEI was pleased to recognize Ivan Bastasic for his 33-year service to the international tax community with the Distinguished Service Award at the 2015 Annual Canadian Tax Conference in May. Ivan recently retired from the Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA), most recently serving as special adviser to the director general in the excise and GST/HST rulings directorate, legislative policy, and regulatory affairs branch.
Ivan’s career in Canadian tax began in the Excise Branch of Revenue Canada in Toronto in the early 1980s, and since that time, his professional expertise has been integral to Canadian tax development. Two of his most notable professional achievements include participating in the updates to the GST Rulings in the late 1990s, along with his contributions to the GST/HST Rulings white paper. As Paul T. Magrath, vice president of TEI Region 1, explained in his nominating letter, “Ivan was always willing to listen to issues raised by industry generally, and TEI specifically, and is well-known for his ability to develop solutions that are easy to administer, taking into account the needs of both business and government.”
As we celebrate Ivan’s achievements and wish him luck in his retirement, we echo Paul’s sentiments that “Ivan stood out among the many CRA officials who are committed to good administrative practices and supportive of TEI’s work to advance those practices. He has been an advocate for a strong relationship between TEI and the CRA.”
