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:

Retirement planning has become significantly more complex with new T1, T2 and T3 filing requirements for many of your clients. For these reason, Knowledge Bureau’s May 27 CE Savvy Summit is a critical – and cutting edge - professional development day for advisors in the tax and financial services industry. Learn from award winning tax educator Evelyn Jacks, who will decipher the April 28 Spring Economic Statement (SES); bestselling retirement author Doug Nelson on “Retirement Income Layering at Every Life Stage,” and Leanne Rodrigo’s detailed Estate Planning on Death of a Taxpayer – including corporate owner-managers, plus the latest news on new bare trust filings, inter vivos and Graduate Rate Estates (GRE). Not to be missed: learn T3 Filing fundamentals with Ruth Horst. Here’s the must-know agenda overview: Register by May 13 for early bird tuition rates.

Mark Your Calendar: Tuesday, May 12, 2026, Toronto. Canadian financial advisors are facing a rapidly shifting investment landscape — one in which traditional portfolio construction is being tested by higher rates, evolving client expectations and growing demand for differentiated sources of return. Against that backdrop, Investment Executive, Advisor.ca and CE Corner are presenting Advisor Learning Series: Alternative Investments, a half-day event featuring the sector’s leading asset managers, and a limited number of complimentary in-person passes for Knowledge Bureau Report readers. Interested attendees are encouraged to reserve early by visiting this link and entering the code KNOWBUR100 at checkout. Find out more details about the event here.

We know you’re busy but please take a moment to check your April 2 emails for your Official Transcript, Attestation Package for Designates and Spring Enrolment Offers to help you get your CE Credits. Here’s an overview:

April 15, 2026: Ottawa, Ontario - Yesterday, the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Finance and National Revenue, announced that he will table the Spring Economic Update 2026 on Tuesday, April 28, 2026. In the Spring Economic Update 2026, the government will provide an update on its plan to build the strongest economy in the G7, and outline additional actions taken to drive prosperity, play to Canada’s strengths, and support Canadians where and when they need it most.

You may have noticed more of your clients expressing dismay over the high amount of taxes owing this April 30.  The culprit could be the late year capital gains distributions declared  by fund companies in 2025, which can be a particular surprise for investors who bought their funds late in the year.  Their T slips will indicate an entire year’s distribution.  Worse, they won’t necessarily have the cash to pay the taxes – now or throughout the rest of the year.  Here’s what you need to know:

After a scathing review by the Auditor General last September, on services provided by CRA last tax season, the tax department was mandated by the Finance Minister to implement a  “100-Day Plan” which ran from September 2 to December 11,2025.  It has already delivered meaningful progress as tax season 2026 comes to a close. We commend CRA employees for meeting the challenge, as it’s no small feat to communicate with millions of taxpayers and their advisors in such a short period of time.  Have you noticed a change?  Here’s the CRA’s take.