Emily Mahannah

Emily is a Principal at Smythe and a member of the firm’s Canadian Tax Group, where she provides strategic tax advice to privately held businesses, individuals, and non-residents. With almost two decades of experience at the firm, she has worked with a broad range of clients, including owner-managed businesses, large corporations, professional partnerships, family trusts, and high-net-worth individuals.  

Emily brings extensive experience in tax compliance and planning for corporations doing business or investing in Canada and in foreign jurisdictions. She advises on succession planning as well as corporate and trust reorganizations, and has helped clients in the technology sector navigate share-based payments, claim investment tax credits, and restructure their share capital. She also assists non-residents doing business in Canada, providing guidance on both inbound and outbound structuring, Canadian compliance requirements, and planning opportunities.  

Recent Projects 

• Advised Angel Investors and other high-income earners on tax credits available through various Canadian programs, including the Venture Capital Corporation (VCC) and Eligible Business Corporation (EBC) programs and the Flow-Through Share regime, while also helping them navigate planning amidst changes to the rules of the Alternative Minimum Tax regime. 
• Supported both Canadian resident and non-resident clients in the Canadian tech sector by advising on research and development incentives, including the Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) tax credit and the BC Interactive Digital Media Tax Credit (IDMTC). 
• Coordinated with foreign tax advisors to generate solutions for tax issuing arising in foreign subsidiaries.   

Within the firm, Emily contributes to ongoing improvements in internal technology and automation and is also a member of Smythe’s Technology Niche Group. 

Emily earned her Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA) designation in 2011 and completed the three-year CPA Canada’s In-Depth Tax Program in 2015.