The Importance of Provincial Budgets: Elbows Up and No Bracket Creep!

Some of the right things are happening in Nova Scotia, from the perspective of improving standards of living in that province.  And that’s important news because according to the Fraser Institute, Canadians have suffered the worst five-year decline in their standard of living over the 2020-to-2024 period since the Great Depression.  It notes, our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per person decreased by 2.0% (0.4% annually) ; this despite aggregate GDP growth of 1.5% over the period.  Further, all ten provinces are experiencing stagnation, which is unique in our history.  So what’s the good news in Nova Scotia, at this critical juncture?

Using comprehensive tax reduction strategies as a leading weapon in sustaining family wealth always makes sense, but never more than this year. In an investment climate in which there is very little certainty, it pays to look for winners we can count on: tax-efficient investments, for example.

Taxpayers who performed services outside Canada for more than six consecutive months during 2015, for either a qualifying Canadian employer or a Canadian-owned foreign affiliate, will qualify for a special tax credit.

Tax and financial advisors agree: more than ever, empathy is a key ingredient of successful advisor-client relationships. This was borne out in a presentation by Craig Dowden, Ph.D., at the recent Distinguished Advisor Conference. Registration is now available for this annual event, being held in San Diego, November 6 – 9, 2016.

Knowledge Bureau’s recently updated T1 Professional Tax Preparation – Basic course introduces a proven process for consistently accurate T1 tax preparation services, with a professional client interview and documentation management system, now featuring case studies using 2015 professional tax software.

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” -Eleanor Roosevelt

The Ontario government has reversed it's January decision to launch the Ontario Registered Pension Plan (ORPP) in January 2017 regardless of what the federal government does with CPP.  This week, the Ontario government has announced that it will work together with the federal government to achieve the mutual goal of improving pensions.