Red Ink on the Prairies
A day after Quebec’s Finance Minister Eric Girard brought down a Budget featuring a $6.3 Billion deficit, Saskatchewan’s Finance Minister Jim Reiter tabled his government’s budget on March 19. Next up was Finance Minister Adrian Salas, who tabled the Manitoba Budget on March 24. The common thread: there’s lots of red ink on the Prairies. But that’s where the budget documents differ between Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Here’s the latest tax news and why it matters to the advice you give your clients.Ineligible Medical Expense Claims & Some Eligible Claims
While taxpayers can claim a variety of medical expenses, there are certain costs related to health that are not eligible for claims. The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) outlines these exceptions in their Medical Expense Guide RC4065. The list includes:
Plan Right: Reduce Your Tax Refund
Employers are required by law to deduct taxes from your pay and remit them on your behalf. That means the first dollars you earn every day go to the federal and provincial governments. Worse, the tax tables employers must use are skewed against you too. Consider how sizable the average tax refund in Canada is: about $2,200 or approximately $184 a month. That’s money you could be putting to use for your own financial future, rather than waiting until four or five months after the end of the year for it.
Graduates in the News – Alec Lui, CLU, CHS, MFA-P
Congratulations to Alec Lui on the completion of the MFA-P Designation program! Alec started his career in 2020 as an advisor and in 2022 joined the insurance carrier as a wholesaler to partner with advisors to help Canadians protect what matters most to them. Hear what he has to say about his experience with the program:
Why Economic Growth is Job #1
It’s provincial budget season, with a federal election coming up soon. What should Finance Ministers in Canada be focusing on to try to meet the tariff winds head on and ensure the standards of living of Canadians going forward in a proactive way? The answer is to focus on economic growth. What is it, why is it important to consumers and voters and how do we measure that?
Tips in Claiming Medical Expense Credits
Medical expenses are the one out of pocket expenditure almost everyone has, and therefore it is the most commonly missed one as well.
Suddenly Unemployed: Tax And Financial Advice To Consider
Layoffs have started in Canada as a result of the tariff war with the U.S. This can be an incredibly emotional experience, aside from the fear associated with financial insecurity. This is a time for important decision-making and tax and financial advisors can be an important source of information, guidance and relief in these scenarios, both for tax and financial planning, in order to make the most of available income sources. There are three things that need to be discussed immediately when there is job loss:
