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?

Busy tax and financial professionals who are looking to train and hire graduates from Canada’s most  comprehensive and convenient professional certification program may enroll now, 24/7. 

We’d like to say congratulations to Benitta Anselm Nerio on the completion of Knowledge Bureau’s T1 Professional Tax Preparation – Intermediate course. Here’s what she had to say about her experience:

At this special time of the year, we like to pause to think about all we are grateful for, and that’s first and foremost our treasured relationship with you. Thank you for your commitment, your friendship and support.

Knowledge Bureau is pleased to release two important tools to assist taxpayers and their advisors with authoritative tax information that’s fast and accurate: the 2018 Income Tax Estimator in the Knowledge Bureau Toolkit, and the new T1 Return, which appears in EverGreen Explanatory Notes.

It’s official, family income sprinkling rules will take effect January 1, 2018, and, unless a family member can show active participation under still-complicated reasonableness tests, distributions of income from private family businesses will be taxed at top tax rates, with none of the progressivity in tax rates available to individuals. This will require an immediate rethinking of resources available to the economic unit known as the family business.

In the spirit of the season, it’s heartwarming to know that the vast majority of Canadians are lending a helping hand to those in need. And what goes around comes around: be sure to inform your clients about tax credits they may qualify for, thanks to their generosity.