Back to School Tax Breaks
Like tax season, back-to-school season rolls around annually with certainty. But in today’s inflationary environment, the start-up costs for getting the family organizing for the school year may seem daunting. The good news is that tax and financial advisors can help clients understand their tax planning options and manage all the receipts that can lead to tax breaks later in the spring during tax filing time. Here’s a primer of topics you may wish to discuss:Additional Support for SMEs: New EI Work Sharing Program
As the coronavirus Pandemic spreads in Canada, employers who face reduced revenues can try to avoid layoffs with the 75% Wage Subsidy Program. A second line of defense is a new EI Work-Sharing (WS) Program. Previously available only in the forestry, steel and aluminum business, there is now no restriction to a particular industry. Here’s a checklist of information for bookkeepers, tax and financial advisors to share with small business clients.
GST/HST Remittance Requirements Postponed
There’s more good news for small business owners affected by the pandemic. On March 27, the federal government announced that it’s deferring payments of all GST/HST remittances until June 30, 2020. Here are the details:
Timing is Everything: How to Apply, and Apply Again for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit
Canadians can apply for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) starting on April 6, but the government is hoping to flatten the curve of responses by having affected Canadians in a specific order, by birth month. Here’s how it will work:
The All New Virtual CE Summits
The All New Virtual CE Summits will be introduced to you on April 22 and May 13. We are so pleased to combine the power of a robust online learning course with an interactive Zoom Meeting platform with your instructors on May 13 to discuss the details of the COVID-19 Emergency Response provisions. Please mark your calendar now.
The Costs and Timelines: The Debt and Deficit are Ballooning
The government released costing and timelines for its various pandemic response provisions on April 1 and this, co-mingled with reports from the Parliamentary Budget Officer indicates a steep climb back to fiscal health once the pandemic crisis is over. Tax and financial advisors will want to shore up their knowledge on managing individual and family balance sheets against a future back drop of slow economic growth and potentially much higher taxes.
March Poll: Tax Professionals Unimpressed by CRA Improved Phone Service
If March 2020 roared in and out like a lion, so did tax pros’ views on CRA’s attempt to improve phone services so far this turbulent tax season. Clearly there is much more to be done as a full 70% of respondents said “no” when we asked: “This tax season CRA is providing online tools to estimate telephone answering and return processing wait times. Do you think this is a service improvement?” Here are some of their comments:
