The Importance of Provincial Budgets: Elbows Up and No Bracket Creep!

Some of the right things are happening in Nova Scotia, from the perspective of improving standards of living in that province.  And that’s important news because according to the Fraser Institute, Canadians have suffered the worst five-year decline in their standard of living over the 2020-to-2024 period since the Great Depression.  It notes, our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per person decreased by 2.0% (0.4% annually) ; this despite aggregate GDP growth of 1.5% over the period.  Further, all ten provinces are experiencing stagnation, which is unique in our history.  So what’s the good news in Nova Scotia, at this critical juncture?

Will the March 28, 2023 Federal Budget further erode accumulated wealth with new taxes, alongside the continued inflationary and interest rate pressures which have already had a significant impact on businesses and investors? The answer is likely yes. What to watch for appears below.

According to the legislation for Canada’s new Unused Housing Tax (UHT), if you are an excluded owner of a residential property in Canada, you have no obligations or liabilities under the Underused Housing Tax Act.  But are spouses who own residential rental properties together excluded owners?  The legislation is fuzzy, to say the least and that’s a problem for professional tax preparers.

We know that taxpayers who turned 65 in 2022 will have some new tax filing nuances when preparing the 2022 tax return this spring. They may qualify for the Age Amount, for example, and, unless they chose to defer their OAS, they’ll be reporting that income for the first time. But will they be subject to a clawback? There’s lots to talk about this tax season. Here’s an overview of potential conversation starters:

Last week, The Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario (FSRA) sent an important reminder to Life Agents in the province to complete CE requirements or they may face regulatory action. It’s an important reminder for all industry professionals to get onside with CE now – and Knowledge Bureau has a great new educational solution: The CE Savvy Collections, which are Accredited with KB, Insurance Councils, Advocis and FP Canada.

Economic uncertainty, war, inflation, rising interest rates, market volatility and looming tax change – all have led to significant financial triggers to keep Real Wealth Managers on their toes. How can one person ensure that their client's holistic wealth plan is maximizing Real Wealth (sustainable inter-generational wealth after taxes, fees and inflation) when so many triggers occur at once?

Keep an eye on your email for your VIP access to enrol in Canada’s most-up-to-date income tax course…coming soon from Knowledge Bureau. This is a great course on personal taxation if you are new to the business as well as a solid refresher for experienced professional tax accountants. Learn the fundamentals of T1 income tax preparation and planning in this course as well as what has changed and what is coming for the next tax year. Today, we’re giving you a sneak peek...