Tax and Financial News | Knowledge Bureau

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.

Introducing Winter DAW sponsor APATC

Knowledge Bureau is pleased to announce that The Association of Professional Accounting & Tax Consultants Inc. (APATC) will join the January Personal Tax Update Workshop tour as a national sponsor.

Resolution: Reduce Average Tax Refund of $1780

Last year, Canadians both prepaid and overpaid their tax and the amount was significant: $148 a month or $1780 for the year, according to taxation statistics to January 4, 2016. That’s money given to the government on an interest-free basis all year long, and bad financial planning. Over a 40-year worklife, your tax overpayment would be worth $71,200 in capital that would not have been invested in the marketplace.

Ten Key Tax Changes for 2016 Greet Unsuspecting Taxpayers

CRA has been prolific recently, releasing its 2015 T1 General Income Tax and Benefits return, its schedules and auxiliary tax forms, together with accompanying guides and pamphlets. To get through them all is a challenge; so is understanding the volume of changes for the 2016 tax year.

There’s an App for That . . . at CRA

CRA is saying “Happy New Year” by launching two new mobile apps: one for individuals and one for businesses. Taxpayers and their advisors may want to check them out. Individual taxpayers can now securely view certain information from their MyAccount data on a mobile app called MyCRA; for example, their notice of assessment, and RRSP and TFSA contribution room are all accessible to them on the go. They can also find out the status of their tax return – just how long that refund is going to take, and information about their social benefits and tax credits.

Eight Factors in Deductibility of Support Payments

Last week, KBR took a look at the case of Blue v. the Queen in the Tax Court of Canada, in which the deductibility of support payments was challenged by the CRA. The leading case on the matter of deductible support payments is The Queen v. McKimmon [1990]. The following commentary summarizing the criteria was submitted by Greer Jacks.