Helping First Nations, Inuit and Metis with Tax Filing

The Canada Revenue Agency is trying to reach out to Canada’s First Nations, Inuit and Metis to encourage them to file their tax forms on time and could use your help to make sure these communities get all the tax benefits they are entitled to. But filing tax returns are not always easy, especially when there is income on and off the reserve.

The changes the Liberal government has introduced for families has some surprising results, now that we’ve had some time to do some number crunching.

It’s reasonably common knowledge that higher wealth accumulators in Canada will want to do some extra planning to avoid the 33% high federal income tax rate applicable to the terminal return of the last surviving spouse.  

Employers are generally required to pay for the premises, assets and supplies used up by their employees in performing their duties, but in some cases the employee will pay for those costs and be able to claim a tax deduction for them.

The Canada Revenue Agency has produced a new Notice of Assessment that is easier to read, a long overdue initiative on the financial literacy front. It will now contain assessments of multiple tax years on one form, which Tax Services Specialists will want to review carefully to ensure the best tax efficiencies are applied over the period, and to preserve appeal rights.

Rather than tinkering with capital gains inclusion rates or changing which assets qualify for capital gains treatment, should governments reconsider taxing capital gains? Some studies suggest that capital gains are fictitious and any taxes thereon result in an economic burden.  Do you agree?

Tax filing time is confusing for most Canadians, but for newcomers it can be completely bewildering.  If you have the opportunity to help with this most important financial document of the year for many families, including new immigrants, consider broaching the following six concepts as a conversation-starter in your role as financial educator.