Podcast: Automatic Tax Filing - Will It Work?

Last week Taxpayers' Ombudsperson François Boileau  tabled his annual report:  In Pursuit of Better Service: Taxpayers Deserve More.  once again, it was nothing short of scathing, as CRA received its highest number of complaints in the last three years.  Calling our “completely nuts” Income Tax Act a potential barrier, he is nonetheless pushing for automatic tax filing as a potential solution.  A new episode of Real Tax News with Evelyn Jacks & Friends available next week, will feature guest Gillian Petit, Ph.D. - author of a great report, Welcome News for Lower-Income Canadians, but There’s More to Do - which takes a deeper dive.  Consider the following:

Leadership matters, especially when you consider all the disruptions that appear at your business doorstep every day.  How to survive them?  Lean into them!  In fact, there are seven key disruptors you must address immediately with your team if you are concerned about successfully growing your business to the next level.

A couple of weeks ago, the financial news of the day involved a controversy about the taxation of employee benefits.   CRA was enforcing its interpretation of the law in relation to the taxation of the benefit of receiving employee discounts at work. After a political outcry, CRA backed down, leaving several question marks.

Do you need more cash flow before Christmas?  It’s a great question for tax and financial advisors to ask their clients who are pensioners, divorces or proprietors.  That’s because the final quarterly tax instalment of the year is coming up soon – December 15 – and with proper planning, it might be avoided.

Our October Poll delivered surprising results regarding the demise of The Canada Savings Bond. Most financial professionals polled agreed, indicating that TFSAs are a better alternative. However, it’s clear that some Canadians attribute nostalgic value to CSBs.

“You cannot climb the ladder of success dressed in the costume of failure.” —Zig Ziglar

Statistics show that only 30 per cent of businesses are transitioned to the next generation. However, we’re entering a time when family businesses are going to play a much more integral role in economic growth and development. Why is this, and what does that mean for advisors and tax professionals?