Red Ink on the Prairies
A day after Quebec’s Finance Minister Eric Girard brought down a Budget featuring a $6.3 Billion deficit, Saskatchewan’s Finance Minister Jim Reiter tabled his government’s budget on March 19. Next up was Finance Minister Adrian Salas, who tabled the Manitoba Budget on March 24. The common thread: there’s lots of red ink on the Prairies. But that’s where the budget documents differ between Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Here’s the latest tax news and why it matters to the advice you give your clients.CERB Refunds: Am I Owed Interest?
To address the self-employment gross vs. net issue, the Government of Canada registered the Canada Emergency Response Benefit and Employment Insurance Emergency Response Benefit Remission Order (“Remission Order”) on May 12, 2021. The Remission Order redresses the self-employed workers who did not qualify for CERB because of the gross vs. net issue by providing that a self-employed Canadian earning less than $5,000 in net income who received CERB, who otherwise would have qualified for CERB, need not return the CERB monies.
Patience Required: Canada Greener Homes Grants and Loans
The red tape is significant, and the governmental processes are not ready. Unfortunately, that’s what your clients will find if they want to get a head start on energy efficient retrofits with new government assistance programs before the winter comes. The federal process involves several government departments and sharing of data that could also put clients at increased risk principal residence audits. The help of a tax professional can be invaluable to access an interest free loan of up to $50,000, a $5000 grant and up to $600 to get a required home-energy evaluation.
