Time’s Up: CRA’s 100 Day Mandate for Improvement

After years of frustration on the part of tax professionals and taxpayers alike, the Finance Minister ordered the Canada Revenue Agency to clean up its act in 100 days. Specifically, the improvement plan was to run from September 2 through December 11. Finance Minister and Minister of National Revenue, Francoise-Phillippe Champagne instructed CRA to fix “unacceptable wait times and service delays.” Time’s up this week and CRA has released an update on progress. What gets measured, gets done. Let’s see what CRA’s metrics show. 

It’s back to tax school time and that means shoring up on tax knowledge for the 2023-2024 tax filing seasons, but also to mark your calendar for important milestones to meet CRA fall filing requirements.  To help, here are the Knowledge Bureau Report’s Fall Financial Calendar Checklist:

No rest for tax and financial professionals, it seems.  Between two long weekends, August 4 and September 8 a giant package of draft tax legislation (365 pages) and explanatory notes (459 pages) must be read, deciphered and reviewed to provide commentary.  It’s a very tight window considering the significance of the provisions, which reform the tax system for employees, employers, high income earners, those embarking on intergenerational transfers, investors in the clean economy and mineral exploration and those who try to circumvent the intent of the law.

The cost of living adjustment for the Canada Child Benefit, along with other federal benefits and credits, increased by 6.3% in July, bringing a welcome raise to families with children who are navigating inflation-fuelled price increases, especially for back-to-school supplies.   A mid-summer plan to improve the CCB for next year should however begin now.  Here’s what you need to know:

CRA is enhancing the questions they will ask when it comes time for a tax audit. In July, the department released 5 forms that require detailed information.  These will be covered in more detail in the September 20 CE Summit; however, here is an overview of what’s in each form.  Tax and accounting services specialists will want to add these forms to their interview checklists with every client who fits the profile for these requests:

A report updated on July 31 from Statistics Canada provides new data on who is retiring in Canada and when.  Is there in fact a retirement planning crisis in Canada?   Who is experiencing it?  You might be surprised at these new facts.  You may also want to weigh in on your observations on August 16 at noon when we present a national Meeting of the Minds with the Society of RWMs™.  Check out the stats and the pointed questions we will be asking our participants to weigh in on August.  Your opinion matters. Please join us.

Evelyn Jacks, President of Knowledge Bureau, is delighted to announce the headliners who will grace the prestigious stage at the Distinguished Advisor Conference (DAC), November 12 to 14 at the spectacular Banff Springs Hotel.  This includes the outstanding MCs - two New Advisor of the Year Award winners – and a powerhouse of tax, investment, insurance, retirement and estate luminaries over the two day event.