Podcast: Automatic Tax Filing - Will It Work?

Last week Taxpayers' Ombudsperson François Boileau  tabled his annual report:  In Pursuit of Better Service: Taxpayers Deserve More.  once again, it was nothing short of scathing, as CRA received its highest number of complaints in the last three years.  Calling our “completely nuts” Income Tax Act a potential barrier, he is nonetheless pushing for automatic tax filing as a potential solution.  A new episode of Real Tax News with Evelyn Jacks & Friends available next week, will feature guest Gillian Petit, Ph.D. - author of a great report, Welcome News for Lower-Income Canadians, but There’s More to Do - which takes a deeper dive.  Consider the following:

Year end tax planning will need to be rethought in light of the dramatic change of government in Canada.  The most significant questions surround the implications for both winners and losers.

The role of accounting can go well beyond just tracking the numbers; providing advice to clients who are business owners will support their decision making and help them to generate real value. That’s why advanced planning for growth and transition is the focus of a new certificate course published by Knowledge Bureau this month.

Do you know how to prepare a T2 corporate return for your small business clients?   Has it always been your professional development dream to get the credentials to do so?

Taxpayers should receive legal advice prior to giving a power of attorney to anyone, including their spouse. Unintended tax consequences will not be forgiven by the CRA.

Whether you are a student or working and paying for child care, those expenditures may be deductible and the maximum amount you can claim has increased this year.  It’s a lucrative year end tip advisors will want to prime their clients about,  to maximize child care expense claims on the 2015 tax return.

It has been truly heartbreaking to watch the humanitarian crisis unfold in Europe, as millions of displaced refugee families risk their lives seeking safe havens. Canadians can help with charitable donations, but also by adopting orphaned children.