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.

After gaining 300,000 jobs in March, Canada lost 207,000 jobs in April, primarily in locked down Ontario and British Columbia, according to Statistics Canada. The April unemployment rate also rose 0.6 percentage points to 8.1%. In a timely move, the April 19, 2021 Federal Budget proposed the new Canada Hiring Recovery Program, set to begin June 6, which would help pay for up to 50% of wages. Here is a how-to guide for employers hoping to tap in:

Despite the pandemic, a recent report finds business owners are remarkably resilient. As tax advisors round out the tax filing seasons with the June 15, 2021 filing deadline for proprietors, it’s a good time to have a high value discussion about what it takes to build long term growth taking root now. The secret may be how effective advisors are in counseling for business growth.  There are certain steps you can follow in the process.

The May 15 enrolment deadline for the Virtual CE Summit taking place on May 20 is approaching fast. After this, the walk-up rate of $695 applies for all new and returning students.  That’s a good reason to act now! But here are 6 more reasons why Retirement, Estate Planning & Budget Updates this May will help you get better results and simplify your efforts with clients.

Need a boost to your spirits these days?  Try winning a sweepstakes (and we have a great one for you).  It turns out everyone likes to win (including monkeys…seriously!) and there’s plenty of science to back up why.

Linda Baldwin, DFA-Tax Services Specialist™ shares how Knowledge Bureau courses have helped her keep up to date on frequent tax changes she’s required to know to operate a successful tax business. Linda also tell us that a Knowledge Bureau education is a requirement for training any new staff she hires.

Tax season is far from over.  As of May 3, only 25.5 million tax returns had been received by CRA with over 30 million expected in total, including those from new filers who received the taxable CERB and CRB payments. So far it has been an overwhelmingly difficult tax season, according to professionals who answered our April poll: “In your view, has CRA’s service level to professional tax advisors improved this year?”. It was conclusive:  97% said no. Here were the challenges faced: