Donation Deadline Draws Near

There is still time to give and save money: mark your calendar for February 28.  That is the deadline date to make cash, cheque, money order donations  to your favorite charity and claim the deduction on your 2024 tax return.

Register now for the CE Savvy Summit: 2025 Advanced T1 Personal Tax Update! All the updated knowledge and resources a tax or financial professional needs, including expert instruction on 2024 T1 Completion and Tax Planning for 2025. Virtual and in-person events in select cities this January – register by January 10 early-bird deadline for tuition savings and take advantage of new team member rates to prepare your staff for the upcoming tax season.

These Distinguished Fellows are honored for their distinguished services as influential thought leaders, who have demonstrated a commitment to the noble cause of teaching and writing by engaging others in the high standards of knowledge they share. In doing so, they have also demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to shaping the future of the tax, accounting and financial services industries. Browse our newly updated FDFS™ Directory   and join us in congratulating our 2025 honourees.

The tax and accounting profession is facing a severe crisis due to a shortage of qualified accountants, according to a report from the Association of Certified Professional Accountants, and Knowledge Bureau can help. Enrol now in comprehensive, specialized certificate courses – Graduate in time for Tax Season. Custom design your learning plan:

With a score of 2.8 out of three stars, the 2024 Acuity Conference for Distinguished Advisors officially wrapped up in Montreal this week and was met with rave reviews from our attendees! 100% of attendees said they would recommend this conference to others.  Thought leaders, newsmakers and news breakers from across Canada moved the needle in the direction of system change as delegates explored the theme, Safe Havens:  Securing Financial Freedom and Wealth Potential.  Says Evelyn Jacks, President of Knowledge Bureau, “The prevailing consensus pointed to the need to remove obstacles, including regulatory overreach, and to do so with the power of multi-disciplinary collaboration and connection.”   

Dan Kelly, President of the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses (CFIB) gave an impassioned speech on the efforts to get the federal government to release the $2.5 Billion Carbon Tax Rebate promised to small business owners back in 2019, only to learn that the government planned to tax the rebate as “government assistance” when it finally arrives.  Taxing a refund of tax makes no sense, and the finance department reversed course quickly - the rebate won’t be added to income.  But this is another one of many recent instances in which tax policy appears off base, exasperating the ability to comply with our self assessment system of taxation with certainty.  Other important points from Dan’s speech on Beating Public Policy Barriers to Small Business:

The great wealth transfer represents an unprecedented passage of assets from one generation to the next, with approximately $1T passing from baby boomers to the next generations between 2020-2030, but what does this generational wealth transfer mean for philanthropic giving? Kristin Ramlal and Evan Connell of Canada Life provided a list of reasons why there is a great opportunity for social impact in Canada, something important to think about as Giving Tuesday, December 3, a global movement advocating for community  philanthropy approaches.