Back to School Tax Breaks

Like tax season, back-to-school season rolls around annually with certainty. But in today’s inflationary environment, the start-up costs for getting the family organizing for the school year may seem daunting. The good news is that tax and financial advisors can help clients understand their tax planning options and manage all the receipts that can lead to tax breaks later in the spring during tax filing time. Here’s a primer of topics you may wish to discuss:

The Bank of Canada cut its interest rate by .25% to 3% on January 29, a full two percentage points lower than was the benchmark in 2023.

Statistics Canada data shows that Canadian parents are starting families later in life than previous years. This trend not only affects housing markets but also influences social services, healthcare needs, and community planning.

Knowledge Bureau hosted its first half-day Mini CE Summit which focused on Rookie Tax Training to bring Canada’s Income Tax Fundamentals course to life, and surprisingly, it was well attended by seasoned pros as well.

Last week, it was announced that the capital gains inclusion rate increase would be postponed to January 1, 2026. How can you advise your clients on this now?

On January 23 , Finance Canada released draft legislation to confirm the extension of the charitable donation deadline for the 2024 tax year to February 28, 2025. However, this law won’t be passed until the House of Parliament returns from the prorogue.

Breaking News - From Finance Canada today - a postponement of capital gains inclusion rate increase from June 25, 2024 to January 1, 2026—the new date on which the capital gains inclusion rate would increase from one-half to two-thirds on capital gains realized annually above $250,000 by individuals and on all capital gains realized by corporations and most types of trusts.