A recognized leader in corporate tax planning and dispute resolution, Brett applies a pragmatic, business-minded approach to advising clients on their most complex transactions and disputes

Brett Anderson is McCarthy Tétrault’s Regional Managing Partner for Alberta and is the Co-Head of the firm's National Tax Group, based in the firm’s Calgary office. With extensive tax law experience, Brett is a leading corporate tax planning and dispute resolution expert focused on providing strategic, value-added advice to clients on domestic and cross-border public reorganizations, mergers, acquisitions and international tax matters. Prior to joining McCarthy Tétrault, he was Co-Managing Partner of a prominent Western Canada-based tax law firm.

A senior practitioner, Brett approaches his practice through the lens of clients’ business and legal needs. He advises both public and private corporations across industries in which clients with business interests in Western Canada frequently operate. Clients appreciate Brett’s thorough understanding of the Energy & Infrastructure sector, the Resources sector as well as the Oil & Gas and Retail sectors, giving him the unique insights to deliver the most customized, industry-focused advice. He also supports large and mid-market private equity firms on all of their domestic and cross-border transactions. Known for developing innovative and tax-efficient structures, Brett is also a seasoned personal tax planning expert who works with clients to develop thoughtful tax plans to both preserve and maximize their wealth.

Brett understands that tax disputes can be overwhelming for clients and that a swift, effective resolution is a business imperative. He leverages his deep knowledge of the tax disputes landscape to provide creative, practical solutions to clients across the entire gamut of tax controversies, including with respect to audits, requests for information, objections, and appeals.

Ranked as a Canadian Lexpert® leading lawyer, Brett is trusted by clients to help shape their business and tax strategies. He is also consistently recognized as a leading tax lawyer by Best Lawyers in Canada and was most recently named in the Lexpert®/American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada.

Brett is actively involved in the tax planning and disputes landscape in Canada through numerous affiliations, including as a Past Chair of the Taxation Non-Specialists Sub-Section, Alberta Branch, of the Canadian Bar Association; as a member of the Canadian Petroleum Tax Society; as a Member of Counsel of the Canadian Branch of the International Fiscal Association; and as a Member of the Canadian Tax Foundation.

Publications and Presentations

• Canadian Petroleum Tax Society, Annual Conference, Co-Presenter “Interest Deductibility - Proposed Limitations in Budget 2021”, June 3, 2021
• International Fiscal Association, Annual Conference, Co-Presenter “Budget 2021 & Other Canadian Law Developments”, May 4-5, 2021
• Co-Authored, Overview of Canadian Fiscal and Tax Administrative Measures in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic, Bulletin for International Taxation, Vol. 74, No. 8, July 2020
• Canadian Tax Foundation, Annual Conference “Mobility and Executive Compensation”, 2019
• Canadian Tax Foundation, Annual Conference Practitioner’s Forum, 2016
• Canadian Tax Foundation, Annual Conference “Practical Implementation Issues Arising from the Foreign Affiliate Dumping Rules”, 2014
• International Fiscal Association, 2014 Joint Canada – USA International Tax Seminar, “Recent U.S. and Canadian Cases Dealing with International Tax Matters”, May 2014
• Canadian Bar Association, Tax Specialists, “Hot Topics in International Tax”, January 2014