The Importance of Provincial Budgets: Elbows Up and No Bracket Creep!

Some of the right things are happening in Nova Scotia, from the perspective of improving standards of living in that province.  And that’s important news because according to the Fraser Institute, Canadians have suffered the worst five-year decline in their standard of living over the 2020-to-2024 period since the Great Depression.  It notes, our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per person decreased by 2.0% (0.4% annually) ; this despite aggregate GDP growth of 1.5% over the period.  Further, all ten provinces are experiencing stagnation, which is unique in our history.  So what’s the good news in Nova Scotia, at this critical juncture?

If your clients are looking for paper copies of this year’s tax forms at the post office, they may be out of luck. Despite many locations posting advanced notice that they would be providing a limited number of paper forms this year, it is particularly concerning that some locations ran out early in the tax season. Some argue that the most vulnerable Canadians may be the most affected by these shortages.

If you’ve ever been to the Knowledge Bureau headquarters, you’ve probably met Zay Aquino. Zay is not only an honours graduate of Knowledge Bureau’s DFA – Tax Services Specialist™ designation, but also our very own Accounting Manager. Zay’s educational journey is an interesting story.

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) released their T4002 Self-employed Business, Professional, Commission, Farming, and Fishing Income for 2018 on March 15, 2019, but the print version is not expected to be available on April 2. With the April 30 deadline for paying outstanding taxes coming up quickly, that’s very late notice on rules to claim the massive changes made to Capital Cost Allowance claims for asset purchases after November 20, 2018. 

The March 19, 2019 federal budget was released last week, and along with it came a few hot topics advisors should consider discussing with clients now. After all, proposed changes to the Home Buyers’ Plan, stock options, and mutual funds will affect Canadians and their wealth management strategies in the coming years. In this edition of KBR, we’ll take a deeper dive on the RRSP’s Home Buyers’ Plan.

While the CRA has not yet announced the prescribed interest rate for the second quarter (April to June) in 2019, the rate is actually set by the average rate of three-month treasury bills in the first month of the preceding quarter, rounded to the next whole percentage point. Here’s what you need to know:

The Investment Industry Association of Canada (IIAC) and Knowledge Bureau are proud to introduce the Vantage Breakfast Series for thought leadership in wealth management. The first event is taking place on May 9 at the National Club in Toronto with an outstanding line up of speakers who will address the theme Wealth Management Issues in a Global Environment. Your invitation appears below. Please RSVP by Friday, May 7.