New Tax Changes for Caregivers: Alberta Budget

Alberta Finance Minister Nater Horner delivered his second consecutive deficit budget on February 26. The deficit is large at $9.4 billion, which the government attributes largely to declining oil revenues. The document is called Fiscal Plan 2026-2029 meaning that this is a three-year fiscal pan, rather than the typical one-year projection.

The pandemic has underscored the important role of caregiving in Canadian society.  But even before the pandemic 25% of Canadians aged 15 and older – close to 8 Million people- were involved in caregiving to a family member or friends with a long-term disability or age-related decline.  These caregivers have key unmet needs

In a climate of rising interest rates, Home Equity Lines of Credit (HELCO) and other joint borrowing opportunities can present a new risk for two generations in the family.  Joint borrowers need to be aware of the dangers ahead and the tax consequences; all reasons why that’s an important part of a year-end tax planning conversation.

The April 2022 federal budget, introduced a Labour Mobility Deduction for skilled tradespeople and apprentices who need to temporarily relocate for work. It’s important to advise eligible taxpayers about this, so they keep receipts to back up the claims retroactively to January 1, 2022.   

In Canada, as in many advanced economies, the age group that grew the fastest in recent years was those aged 65 and over. That’s not pandemic-related, it’s simply the aging of the baby boomers. Those over 65 tend to have the lowest labour force participation rate, and that has been pulling down the growth of Canada’s labour force in recent years, according to recent remarks by Tiff Macklem, Governor of the Bank of Canada. In addition, many small businesses in Canada are owned by Baby Boomers.  There’s a potential problem if Baby Boomers own a business and plan to use the money they’ve invested to pay for their retirement years.

Nothing like a positive headline to grab your attention.  The Financial Post article goes on to say: It’s been a miserable year for the global economy. And things could get worse with a mild recession potentially on the horizon. In an extreme downside scenario, this could wipe out US$5 trillion in global output, according to Bloomberg Economics. So, what to do?

There is no doubt your clients are interested in knowing how to inflation proof and recession-proof their wealth and navigate successfully through emerging risks from the CRA. To accomplish the former, advisors must have broader knowledge on upcoming tax changes and how astute investment planning in a very new economic environment can help clients maximize after-tax income and reduce capital erosion.