Podcast: Automatic Tax Filing - Will It Work?

Last week Taxpayers' Ombudsperson François Boileau  tabled his annual report:  In Pursuit of Better Service: Taxpayers Deserve More.  once again, it was nothing short of scathing, as CRA received its highest number of complaints in the last three years.  Calling our “completely nuts” Income Tax Act a potential barrier, he is nonetheless pushing for automatic tax filing as a potential solution.  A new episode of Real Tax News with Evelyn Jacks & Friends available next week, will feature guest Gillian Petit, Ph.D. - author of a great report, Welcome News for Lower-Income Canadians, but There’s More to Do - which takes a deeper dive.  Consider the following:

Retroactive claims for three important pandemic wage supports will end in October and November, for Periods 27 and 28.  The programs were first introduced on October 24, 2021 with an end date of May 7, 2022; however retroactive claims were still allowed. Specifics appear below:  Business owners who have not yet made claims for the CRGP – Canada Recovery Hiring Program, the CRGP – Canada Recovery Hiring Program and the HHBRP – Hardest-Hit Business Recovery Program will be out of luck after November 6.

Old Age Security clawbacks, technically known as the Old Age Security Recovery Tax, are applied when your tax return is filed, and your net income is over the clawback threshold ($81,761 for 2022). Then, the following July, the government assumes your income will remain the same for the following tax year and starts collecting the clawback by reducing your OAS payments each month.

FIRESIDE CHAT: DOING GOOD You’ve likely heard about social financing: the collaborative investment of public, private and philanthropic funds to re-image our economic structure to build a “Social Infrastructure Network”. At it’s core – doing good is the big idea.

An important discussion is taking place in Canada and tax professionals will not want to miss their chance to weigh in by the September 30 consultation deadline.  Specifically, the federal government wishes to “modernize” the GAAR – General Anti Avoidance Rules - after a series of 24 losses in court.  Here are the issues:

The Federal government announced three new refundable benefit programs on September 13, which will put extra money in the pockets of individuals and families. 

During the pandemic, the federal government put temporary changes to the Employment Insurance (EI) program in place.  These special programs will end on September 25, 2022.  Employers will want to refresh their memories both on the pandemic response rules, and now, the return to normal for the purposes of informing management and/or payroll departments who may receive questions from departing employees: