shareholder remuneration

August tax news: Shareholder remuneration, mandatory disclosure rules–and more

SHAREHOLDER REMUNERATION: AN OVERVIEW There are many ways a corporation can get corporate funds into a shareholder’s hands. The inevitable question is what is the most tax-efficient way of achieving this? The answer to this question will differ from corporation to corporation, depending on the source of the corporate funds, the relationship of the shareholder […]

Aggressive tax planning dominoes

June tax news: Aggressive tax planning gets more risky, UHT deadline extended–and more

AGGRESSIVE TAX PLANNING GETS MORE RISKY   The government has been taking more and more measures in recent years to go after “aggressive tax planning” — that is, the use of tax shelters and other schemes to avoid tax in ways not intended by the designers of the tax system. New rules will make it […]

Canada Revenue Agency prescribed rate

Canada Revenue Agency prescribed rate remains unchanged for Q3 2023

The Canada Revenue Agency has announced that the prescribed rate for the third quarter of 2023 will hold steady for the first time in a year. The prescribed rate hovered at 1 per cent throughout most of the COVID-19 pandemic, then increased by a percentage point each quarter beginning in the third quarter of 2022. The […]

Ottawa announces prescribed rate loan increase

Canada Revenue Agency prescribed rate increases for Q2 2023

For the fourth consecutive quarter, the Canada Revenue Agency  prescribed rate has increased by a percentage point. The rate used to calculate taxable benefits for shareholders and employees from interest-free and low-interest loans is now 5 per cent—up from 4 per cent in the first quarter of the year—for the period ending June 30th, 2023. The […]

House subject to Underused Housing Tax

Underused Housing Tax Update: Filing deadline extended until Oct. 31, 2023

The confusion swirling around the implementation and scope of the federal government’s new Underused Housing Tax has resulted in a temporary reprieve from Ottawa, providing taxpayers with extra time to fully understand their compliance obligations under the new law. The Canada Revenue Agency announced this week that the while the deadline for affected owners to […]

philanthropic donations

March tax news: Tax-effective philanthropic donations and the benefits of life insurance

TAX-EFFECTIVE PHILANTHROPIC DONATIONS Reaching for your cheque book or credit card to make philanthropic donations is the least tax cost-effective strategy. We’ve identified more than 20 ways to be even more charitable − all of them more tax and cost-effective – encouraging you to look around at your loved ones and consider how you can build […]

Underused Housing Tax condo

Why you may need to file an Underused Housing Tax return

The federal government’s new Underused Housing Tax came into effect on January 1st, 2022. It introduced a 1 per cent annual tax on the ‘specified value’ of a vacant or ‘underused’ residential property owned in whole or in part by non-resident, non-Canadian citizens. Despite the legislation’s many exemptions, it is very broad and ensnares several […]