The Law Society of BC has fined Pitt Meadows lawyer Eric John Becker $10,000 for professional misconduct involving his failure to remit payroll source deductions to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).
The society said that, as of October 2021, Becker’s practice owed the CRA approximately $270,004, including interest and penalties.
In a June 12 public notice, the province’s legal profession regulator said Becker admitted that while he was the sole director of his law corporation and in charge of the practice’s financial management, he collected employee source deductions in 2017, 2018 and 2019 but failed to remit them to the CRA in a timely way, or at all.
The society said Becker was aware that he owed the payroll source deductions and explained his practice was experiencing unanticipated cash flow demands that continued until the practice ceased operating.
“(Becker) admits that this conduct constitutes professional misconduct,” the decision said.
The decision said Becker has practiced in a variety of fields, including both litigation and solicitor’s work, mostly under the name Becker & Company but more recently as Peak Law Group.
The society said the CRA requires employers to deduct certain amounts from employees’ remuneration.
Those deductions include Canada Pension Plan contributions, employment insurance premiums and income tax.
