Changes to Paper Filing Disempowering

Last tax season, only 7% of all Canadian tax filers filed on paper. The CRA is pushing for zero. It continues to steer the holdouts to digitized filing by adding lots of obstacles. Most recently, it is removing almost all the schedules from the tax return package it mails. This seems unfair to people who paper file because they can’t afford a computer and internet, distrust the security of online filing and those who are neither tax or computer literate. Here’s what they are up against:

As the owner-manager of a thriving tax preparation, bookkeeping, accounting or financial services practice, your future success is dependent upon the knowledge and skills of your team, especially with technological advances. It's time to go beyond the basics and learn more about providing tax consultancy services. The newly updated Intermediate Personal Tax Preparation can help!

As Canadian baby boomers retire, it’s been estimated that $10 Trillion in small-business assets will change hands in Canada over the course of a decade*. We’re entering the peak point of this transition, according to economic forecasting, between now and 2025. Canadian business owners, in particular, have a lot to lose, if their succession planning is left on the back burner:  their retirement security.

The June 15 tax filing deadline for proprietorships is just around the corner.  But, there’s another problem soon to befall delinquent taxpayers:  the tax collector is coming if you haven’t paid up, and you can expect a “no excuses” approach.

Significant gains in transfer payments combined with good market income growth translated into an increase in median income for Canadian households, to $57,000 in the period 2000 to 2016. There is a message in the numbers for pre-retirees, and in particular women: be proactive about tax-efficient investing now or risk poverty in retirement.

The transformation of the CPP, new income splitting rules for family business and more are changing the retirement planning game, and a new study shows that clients find the most value when their tax or financial advisors make retirement-related services a priority.

Understanding CPP changes is something Canadians continue to struggle with. Here is some history, and key guidelines to share with your clients and guide you in leading them towards tax-efficient income planning decisions in 2018 and beyond.