The UHT May Be Cancelled, But Vacancy Taxes Remain

As tax professionals, you are keenly aware of the constant changes our federal government makes to the Income Tax Act. Adjustments are made, and you must adapt. Not often, though, is a tax eliminated altogether. But in the case of the Underused Housing Tax (UHT), that is exactly what has happened – it was cancelled in the federal budget of November 4, 2025, but Canada’s underused housing taxes have not been eliminated. Here’s what you need to know for tax season 2026.

We find ourselves in an unusual situation with higher-than-normal inflation while simultaneously seeing signs of either an ongoing or approaching recession.  It’s not a time for knee-jerk overreactions.  Rather, the current cloud gathering should come as a reminder that long-term wealth is built by well-researched investments constructed around the realities of fluctuating economic circumstances.

Have you agreed to be an executor for a loved one?  If so, I just know you want to be ready and informed about what to do when the time comes.  When it is time to ‘be’ the executor, over and above the additional tasks you have to do, you could be also faced with the emotions of your loss.  For that reason, amongst others, the time to check into what is involved is NOW! 

National Financial Education Institute Knowledge Bureau is pleased to announce the launch of its new virtual campus: learn.knowledgebureau.com.  The mission of the second campus, which complements the Specialized Credentials offered through www.knowledgebureau.com, will focus on an expanded curriculum of short professional courses available by subscription, especially designed for entrepreneurial advisors in search of both technical and business education.

This year’s thought leaders will be taking the stage at DAC Acuity 2022, October 16-18 in Niagara Falls to discuss the theme “Velocity: How to Gain Momentum in the New Economy”, and this is your unique opportunity to grow your business with innovative insight from the top Canadian Knowledge experts in tax, accounting and finance. We invite you to join us for a combination of great networking, and the serious work of understanding the trends and strategies that lead to sound decision-making with your clients in the current environment. RSVP now, and take advantage of early-bird tuition rates – only until August 31.

Owing money to CRA has just gotten a lot more expensive.  If you owe, you’ll pay interest at a rate of 7% effective October to December.   This represents an additional 1% increase over the July to August quarter which was, in turn, a 1% increase over the rate for the previous quarter.

Just over four months after the April 7th Budget, the Government released a large package of draft legislative proposals on August 9th.  They include details on the following provisions, which will be discussed in detail at the September 21st CE Summits.