CRA’s Callback Service for Tax Pros Pilot

Are you a tax professional with years of experience? Have you ever felt frustrated after calling the CRA, having spent hours on hold, wasting your client’s or employer’s time, only to speak to CRA agents who aren’t qualified to answer your questions? The Auditor General of Canada was equally displeased in a scathing report last fall on wait times and accuracy levels at the CRA. Now a new CRA callback service may come to the rescue this tax season. Here is my experience with the pilot project so far:

It’s a big number! The 2019 tax filing season saw nearly 30,000,000 returns filed between February 18, 2019, and September 4, 2019*. Tax season 2020 will again feature some significant tax changes. That’s why now is the time for professional advisors to register in Canada’s most comprehensive advanced T2 tax update training and shake out the cobwebs before filing those millions of returns. But it’s first come, first served so don’t miss the January 10 deadline to save on tuition fees for your Advanced T1 Tax Update at the Winter CE Summits. 

For a limited time, we’re extending a special online learning offer to all of our KBR readers. With the holidays right around the corner, you might just find the time to sharpen your skills in professional tax preparation, bookkeeping or retirement planning with a new certificate. Learn in your slippers in front of the fireplace, or on the beach in a southern retreat – it’s up to you! Now, you can save $200 when you enrol in your next online course, but only until November 22!

In the market for a new car before year-end? Take the time to visit your tax advisor first. He or she can take the time before the holidays to help you consider your after-tax options and evaluate the best approach to acquiring this asset; as debt management is likely part of the equation.

Business owners: the burden of proof in an audit is on you. That’s the message the CRA is sending to businesses since close to $1.2 billion has been identified (but not necessarily collected) through audits of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which represents a big win for the tax department. So, what can you do to prepare a potential defence before year-end should your business be next?

Medical expenses are among the most commonly overlooked tax provisions and it’s important to pay attention to unreimbursed medical expenses and to claim them as they can be used to reduce taxes payable. CRA has a list of over 130 claimable medical expenses. Here are some odd medical expenses you don’t want to miss:

DAC 2019 in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico is in full swing this week and Day 3 is underway today. It has been an outstanding conference in every respect, with all the speakers hitting their topics out of the park with passion, cutting-edge insights, and highly engaged delegates discussing resilience and competition in a dramatically changing world.