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.

As a result of recent corporate tax rate changes and adjustments to the taxation of dividends, one of the key issues faced by the owner/manager of a private business is how to best manage his or her compensation to maximize the amount of after-tax income available to the family.

"Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world." Desmond Tutu

For those who become unemployed, Employment Insurance (EI) benefits may be available and they are taxable. In addition, if you are a high-income earner in the year you receive the benefit, these benefits may also be subject to repayment.

Recently, federal and provincial finance ministers met to discuss enhancements to the Canada Pension Plan. Here’s what’s going to change and when.

There are big changes coming for families who get the refundable Children’s Fitness Tax Credit, so use it before you lose it!

With the recent Brexit vote and the US presidential election around the corner, markets are volatile. What hasn’t changed, however, is that for most families, taxes continue to be their largest single lifetime expense. As a result, competent wealth managers with a specialization in both taxes and investment management services are in high demand.