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.

Knowledge Bureau is pleased to announce that TaxCycle will join the January Personal Tax Update Workshop tour as a national sponsor. Founded in January 2010, Calgary-based Trilogy Software Inc. creates tax software for accountants and tax professionals.

Knowledge Bureau wishes all our readers a happy, prosperous and healthy 2016.  We look forward to interpreting and sharing the latest breaking, tax and financial news with you this year. As always, we look forward to your feedback and comments on our articles and poll question.

The Bank of Canada has announced the 2015 average exchange rates for several currencies against the Canadian dollar. While some might be curious about how many Fijian dollars or Panamanian balboas one might get in exchange for a Canadian dollar, the currencies we are most often concerned about are the US dollar (1.2787 for 2015) and the Euro (1.4182 for 2015).

There is lots of news for Canadian taxpayers in receipt of German pensions. Ignoring these developments can result in unnecessarily high levels of taxation, or in punitive penalties for non-compliance, in both Germany and Canada.

Separation and divorce are expensive life events; they can be much more financially damaging when tax rules are not taken into account. The recent case of Blue v. the Queen in the Tax Court of Canada, although successful for the appellant, shows how easily the terms of a well-intentioned separation agreement may be ruled ineligible for tax relief.

Should Canadians top up their TFSA to get a jump on tax free savings in 2016 now that annual contributions have been capped at $5500, or should tax savings with an RRSP contribution be top priority now til the RRSP deadline of February 29, 2016?