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:

What is the future of human work when robos are coming on so strongly?  Studies show that lifelong learning is essential for personal and professional development and in fact, that university students need to be ready to “re-skill” the moment they graduate. This from The Future of Jobs report, published by the World Economic Forum.

Small business owners are taking note: small business tax reforms are here to stay, the news is not good, and they are not happy about it. In fact, some are taking drastic actions, at the peril of Canada’s local economies.

The Canada Caregiver Credit, or CCC, is by far the most complicated provision on the 2017 tax return. In this last article of our series, we’ll give you some true-to-life examples of how to claim it for your loved ones who may be suffering an infirmity.

What should we anticipate in this year’s federal budget? Evelyn Jacks weighs in on the anticipated changes – and who will be affected by them - with signals already clearly evident from recently released Finance Canada documents.

Canada has 1,673,785 aboriginal people, representing 4.9 percent of the population. According to our census, this population has grown 42.5 percent in the period 2006-16 and the average age of the aboriginal people, at 32.1 years, is close to a decade younger than the rest of Canada. There are unique tax filing concerns for these Canadians, requiring specialized knowledge.

According to a study by the Environics Institute, less than half of Canadian Millennials have enough money to live the kind of life they desire. While they are focused on finding meaningful work that will offer them balance, flexibility and the opportunity to give back - what’s missing is the money. However, the financial services may provide a solution.