u/chipotop

Hi everyone. First of all, I apologize for any mistakes in my English, as it isn't my first language.

So, I (22M) reported "Mike" (24M) (fake name, of course) from my university friend group to the Canada Revenue Agency.

Mike is in the same program as me. Since he's a little older, he started a company before going to university. One important thing to know is that we're studying to become social workers, and people in our program generally have strong values regarding fairness, honesty, and respecting the law.

Mike has always been part of our friend group, but we've never actually been close. We don't really talk or spend time together one-on-one—he's just someone who's there when we all go out for beers or other activities.

A few days ago, we were out having drinks when Mike joined us after work. He started bragging about charging an elderly woman $75 more than he should have. Curious, I asked him how and why he did it. He told me that his business isn't officially registered and that he charges GST/QST to some clients even though he doesn't remit those taxes and does everything under the table.

I was already shocked, but then he laughed and said, "Old people are dumb enough to pay taxes without asking for a receipt."

As the night went on and he got more intoxicated, he admitted that he has two 16-year-old employees. He said he creates fake pay stubs for them that include tax deductions, but then pays them under the table instead, usually through one Interac e-Transfer each month that "the bank hasn't flagged yet."

At that point, I was furious.

I asked him whether he realized that if one of his employees got injured on the job, they could have serious issues making a workers' compensation or insurance claim because of how he was paying them. He replied that he never keeps employees for more than three months because he believes they're still in a "trial period," so he doesn't have to provide them with insurance or benefits. As far as I know, that's not how it works.

When I got back to my apartment, I told my roommate, who's a law student, what had happened. He showed me how to report suspected tax fraud to the Canada Revenue Agency, as well as the appropriate provincial agencies. After thinking it over, I submitted reports to all of the agencies that seemed relevant.

Later, I told one of my friends what I'd done. He said I was kind of an asshole for reporting Mike. I tried explaining that this wasn't just about tax evasion—it involved taking advantage of elderly customers, potentially exploiting teenage employees, and committing what sounded like multiple forms of fraud. Even after hearing that, he still thinks I went too far.

So... AITA?

Hi everyone. First of all, I apologize for any mistakes in my English, as it isn't my first language.

So, I (22M) reported "Mike" (24M) (fake name, of course) from my university friend group to the Canada Revenue Agency.

Mike is in the same program as me. Since he's a little older, he started a company before going to university. One important thing to know is that we're studying to become social workers, and people in our program generally have strong values regarding fairness, honesty, and respecting the law.

Mike has always been part of our friend group, but we've never actually been close. We don't really talk or spend time together one-on-one—he's just someone who's there when we all go out for beers or other activities.

A few days ago, we were out having drinks when Mike joined us after work. He started bragging about charging an elderly woman $75 more than he should have. Curious, I asked him how and why he did it. He told me that his business isn't officially registered and that he charges GST/QST to some clients even though he doesn't remit those taxes and does everything under the table.

I was already shocked, but then he laughed and said, "Old people are dumb enough to pay taxes without asking for a receipt."

As the night went on and he got more intoxicated, he admitted that he has two 16-year-old employees. He said he creates fake pay stubs for them that include tax deductions, but then pays them under the table instead, usually through one Interac e-Transfer each month that "the bank hasn't flagged yet."

At that point, I was furious.

I asked him whether he realized that if one of his employees got injured on the job, they could have serious issues making a workers' compensation or insurance claim because of how he was paying them. He replied that he never keeps employees for more than three months because he believes they're still in a "trial period," so he doesn't have to provide them with insurance or benefits. As far as I know, that's not how it works.

When I got back to my apartment, I told my roommate, who's a law student, what had happened. He showed me how to report suspected tax fraud to the Canada Revenue Agency, as well as the appropriate provincial agencies. After thinking it over, I submitted reports to all of the agencies that seemed relevant.

Later, I told one of my friends what I'd done. He said I was kind of an asshole for reporting Mike. I tried explaining that this wasn't just about tax evasion—it involved taking advantage of elderly customers, potentially exploiting teenage employees, and committing what sounded like multiple forms of fraud. Even after hearing that, he still thinks I went too far.

So... AITA?