Person quitting a job

May tax news: The tax cost of leaving (or losing) your job, deducting interest–and more

THE TAX COST OF LEAVING (OR LOSING) YOUR JOB     What happens for tax purposes if you leave your job — voluntarily or by being terminated — and your employer pays you money? Typically, you might receive one or both of the following kinds of payments: An extension of your salary during a period while […]

CRA prescribed rate

Canada Revenue Agency prescribed rate drops to 5 per cent for Q3 2024

  For the first time in nearly two years, the Canada Revenue Agency prescribed rate will not rise, instead decreasing to 5 per cent from 6 per cent for the third quarter of 2024 (July 1st, 2024 to September 30th, 2024. The prescribed rate crested at 6 per cent earlier this year, after lingering at […]

executors executing last will and testament of a client

April tax news: Tax strategies for estate executors, taxes on crypto–and more

TAX CONSIDERATIONS FOR EXECUTORS   Being asked to be the Executor of someone’s estate is a significant responsibility, often coming at a very sad time if that person is a family member. The responsibility is not something which should be taken on lightly. The estate administration process can sometimes take years to complete. There are […]

advisor discussing new CRA trust reporting rules

Ignore erroneous $100 fines for on-time trust filing, CRA says

Some taxpayers who were required to file a trust return for 2023 may have been surprised to discover that they’d been assessed a late-filing penalty of $100 by the Canada Revenue Agency for the on-time filing of the Schedule 15 (Beneficial Ownership Information of a Trust) form that accompanied their 2023 T3 Income Tax and […]

CRA prescribed rate

Tax update: CRA exempts bare trusts from new trust reporting requirements

In an abrupt change of policy, the Canada Revenue agency has announced that it will exempt bare trusts from filing a T3 Income Tax and Information Return, including Schedule 15 (Beneficial Ownership Information of a Trust), for the 2023 tax year. The CRA still reserves the right to request these filings directly in specific circumstances. […]

CRA prescribed rate

Canada Revenue Agency prescribed rate remains at 6% for Q2 2024

The Canada Revenue Agency prescribed rate will remain at 6 per cent for the second quarter of 2024 (which extends from April 1st, 2024 to June 30th, 2024). The prescribed rate last reached 6 per cent in the second quarter of 2001; it hovered at only 1 per cent during the COVID-19 pandemic. The current […]

Lawyer discussing a family trust with his clients

February tax news: Benefits of a family trust and a last call for 2023 RRSPs

THE BENEFITS OF ESTABLISHING A FAMILY TRUST Estate planning is an important consideration for all individuals, irrespective of their level of wealth. Poor planning, or no planning, can result in an excessive proportion of your estate being lost when you die, in the form of either probate fees or taxes, or both. Luckily, there is […]

Business colleagues having a meeting in a transparent boardroom discussing capital gains share sales

January tax news: Claiming capital gains exemptions, reporting assets outside Canada–and more

CLAIMING YOUR CAPITAL GAINS EXEMPTION ON THE SALE OF SHARES The Lifetime Capital Gains Exemption (LCGE) is an incredibly valuable tax exemption. Every individual is entitled to this exemption and it can currently (for 2024) exempt a gain of up to $1,016,836 (the amount is indexed to inflation each year). In Ontario for example, the […]