CRA Data Breeches Put Taxpayer Information at Risk

An important deadline is coming up, around the same time that Canadians get ready to file their 2026 tax returns at the start of tax season 2027. Since 2020, more than 42,000 data breaches have occurred at the CRA. A class action lawsuit was launched in 2020 and a $8.76 million settlement was reached.  Eligible Canadians affected by these security incidents can now submit claims through the KPMG Claims Portal until February 3, 2027.  

If you’re a pre-retiree, don’t put your tax affairs to bed yet—especially if you plan to apply for CPP benefits in the near future! Starting January 1, 2019, there will be many changes to the rules. Here’s what you need to know.

Canada’s workplace is changing and not just on our vast, thawing land. Home-based workers are able to earn their living around the globe, and despite uncertainty, the benefits offered by recent U.S. tax reforms are attractive to Canadian businesses and professionals seeking more competitive environments. For these reasons, May 15 is an important date.

Cannabis is already on the mind of tax and financial advisors due to its inclusion in Budget 2018 and its pending legalization and accompanying taxation. But that isn’t all you should be thinking about, as it triggers an essential and controversial leadership discussion – what’s tolerable in the workplace?

Do you have clients who travelled to another city for medical care in 2017, but failed to keep receipts?  It pays to do a little research to maximize their claims. In fact, they don’t need to miss out on the medical expense savings, if you use the simplified method to file.  Here are the rules:

For many Canadians filing a tax return is the most important financial transaction of the year. Getting the best tax refund is important: not only will it put more of the money you previously earned back in your own pocket, your refund can make at least some of your cash flow and retirement worries go away. Here’s how:

Use them before you lose them! That’s the message for parents and post-secondary education students filing 2017 tax returns who are looking for provincial tuition fee rebate programs to reduce student expenses. This is especially so, since the federal education and textbook credits have been cancelled. But the tuition rebate programs are diminishing, too.