A man in a dark gray suit with a patterned red tie and white shirt standing with arms crossed next to a window.

Josh Schmidt

Partner

Partner and trial-tested tax litigator, blending courtroom experience, technical depth, and business sense to drive efficient audits, objections, appeals, and settlements.


Email: jschmidt@schmidtgilmour.com
Direct: (778) 988-5674

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Josh’s Bio

Josh Schmidt practices exclusively in tax litigation, including representation in cases involving alleged tax evasion. He has appeared before the Tax Court of Canada, British Columbia Provincial Court, Supreme Court, and Court of Appeal, acting for clients in disputes ranging from audits and reassessments to criminal investigations.

Before co-founding Schmidt & Gilmour in 2016, Josh worked at two national tax boutiques where he handled both tax controversy and tax planning across corporate, trust, and personal matters. He also practised at a full-service firm and a business law boutique, advising on commercial transactions and corporate structuring. His early career in the private sector, including five years in marketing with a major consumer goods company, gives him a pragmatic understanding of how legal and business issues intersect.

Josh is a regular presenter on tax litigation, audit powers, and estate planning matters. His published work appears in Canadian Tax Foundation journals, CPA Canada publications, and CLEBC manuals. He holds law and commerce degrees from the University of Victoria and has completed the CPA In-Depth Tax Course and the STEP Canada Diploma Program. Clients rely on his judgment, technical precision, and ability to navigate difficult files with discipline and clarity.

    • Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners Canada Diploma Program, 2019

    • CPA, In-Depth Tax Course II, 2010

    • CPA, In-Depth Tax Course I, 2009

    • University of Victoria, LLB, 2006

    • University of Victoria, B.Comm, 1997

    • Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners

    • Canadian Tax Foundation

    • Law Society of British Columbia

    • Presenter – “Tax Controversy 101” CLEBC Tax Issues for Commercial Practitioners, Vancouver, May 2025

    • Presenter – “Tax Law for New Immigrants” CBABC Immigration Law Section, Vancouver, February 2024

    • Presenter – “Tax Litigation and Dispute Resolution: Update and Insights” PBLI Tax Law 2024: Navigating Changes to the Tax Landscape, Vancouver, January 2024

    • Co-Presenter – “Tax Update 2018: Litigators’ Perspective” CPABC CPD Course, Prince George, October 2018

    • Presenter – “Tax Rectification in Disguise?” PBLI The WESA effect: Where Are We Now, September 2018

    • Co-Presenter – “Tax Update 2018: Litigators’ Perspective” CPABC CPD Course, Prince George, September 2018

    • Co-Presenter – “CRA Collections Procedures on RTPs” at RBC Vancouver, September 2017

    • Presenter – “Personal Taxation Update” CLEBC Developments in Taxation: Welcome to the New Age, Vancouver, May 2017

    • Co-Presenter – “CRA Audit, Litigation and Tax Disputes” Presentation at MNP Nanaimo, March 2017

    • Co-Presenter – “CRA Audit, Litigation and Tax Disputes” CPABC CPD Course, Prince George, November 2016

    • Co-Presenter – “Advanced Issues in Estate Planning for Private Corporation Owners” CPA Canada / CPABC PCD Course, Vancouver, October 2016

    • Presenter – “Tax Issues”, Institute of Advance Financial Planners 14th Symposium, Richmond, September 2016

    • Co-Presenter – “Tax Litigation Primer”, CPABC CPD Course, Kelowna, July 2016

    • Co-Presenter – “Tax Litigation Primer”, November 2015

    • Presenter – “CRA Audits for Controllers”, CPABC CPD Course presented at Crowe Mackay, Kelowna, July 2015

    • Co-Presenter – “Taxation Planning for Owners/Managers”, CGA CPD Course, webinar, February 2011

    • Co-author – “TCC Refuses to Grant Charter Remedies”, CTF Canadian Tax Focus, Vol. 9, No. 2, May 2019

    • Co-author – “The End of Common Interest Privilege?”, CTF Canadian Tax Focus, Vol. 7, No. 1, February 2017

    • Co-author – “BCSC Provides Guidance on Tax-Motivated Rectifications,” CTF Tax For the Owner Manager, Vol. 15, No. 4, October 2015

    • Co-Author – “The Joint Committee on Taxation of The Canadian Bar Association and Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada – July 31, 2015 Draft Legislation – Charitable Gifting rules”, CPA Canada, October 13, 2015

    • Contributing Author – BCCLE British Columbia Mortgages Practice Manual, 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2015

    • Author – “The Scope of CRA Audit Powers”, CTF Tax Highlights, April 2012

    • Co-Author – “The Special Case of Cross-Border Tax Investigations”, BCCLE Transnational Criminal Law, November 2011

    • Author – “Swiss Exchange of Information”, CTF Tax Highlights, May 2009