Farming fuel tax credit

July tax news: Farming and air quality tax credits, taxation of accounts receivable–and more

FUEL CHARGE CREDIT FOR FARMING BUSINESSES The federal government recently introduced a refundable “return of fuel charge proceeds to farmers tax credit” to farming businesses to help them offset certain fuel charges that they incur in their farming businesses. The credit was passed into law on June 9, 2022, in Bill C-8. The credit applies […]

CERB relief for students

Government order provides relief for some students who incorrectly claimed CERB

In the early days of the COVID-19 crisis, as the federal and provincial governments rushed to rollout a whirlwind of relief benefits, Canadians applied for income support programs for which they believed they were eligible–one of the most readily available being the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB)  Some of those applications were later deemed inappropriate, […]

Canada Revenue Agency prescribed rate

CRA’s prescribed rate set to double on July 1, 2022

A key Canada Revenue Agency tax rate that impacts everything from the interest due on outstanding taxes to interest received on tax refunds, is about to double. The prescribed rate will increase to 2 per cent from the current 1 per cent, effective July 1st, 2022. The rate has remained at 1 per cent since […]

RRSP savings

April tax news: RRSP vs. TFSA benefits, gains and losses on personal property–and more

RRSP VS. TFSA – WHICH IS BETTER? This is a question that comes up regularly in financial planning and tax planning circles. But before we attempt to answer the question, we need to know the difference in the tax treatment between these plans. Although some commentators call the first 60 days of the year the […]

Reversionary or revocable trusts for a loved one

February tax news: Understanding trusts, managing partnership returns–and more

REVERSIONARY/REVOCABLE TRUSTS A trust is a relationship under which a person, called a settlor, contributes cash or other property in trust for the benefit of others, called the beneficiaries. The trust is not a legal person or entity for most purposes, but it is considered a “person” and a “taxpayer” for income tax purposes. The […]

associated corporation downtown building

January tax news: Rules for associated corporations, lending to adult children—and more

ASSOCIATED CORPORATIONS Under the Income Tax Act, there are various rules pertaining to relationships between taxpayers, including individuals, trusts, and corporations. For example, there are rules that apply to “related” persons, “non-arm’s length” persons, “affiliated” persons, and “associated” corporations. The rules are generally restrictive in nature, and the tax policy reasons for the rules are […]

yacht tax in Canada

December tax news: Luxury tax updates, calculating entertainment expenses—and more

PROPOSED LUXURY TAX ON EXPENSIVE CARS, BOATS AND PLANES The Liberal government is planning to introduce a new Luxury Tax, to take effect on January 1, 2022. It will apply to: new cars, SUVs and pick-up trucks costing over $100,000 boats costing over $250,000 certain aircraft costing over $100,000 The tax will be 20% of the […]

November tax news: How options are taxed, why the self-employed pay double CPP–and more

HOW OPTIONS ARE TAXED An option to purchase a property, as the term implies, provides the holder of the option an optional right to purchase the property. The option is referred to as a call option. The purchase price under the option is sometimes called the exercise price or strike price. Conversely, an option to […]

death tax

October tax news: Death, taxes and capital gains treatment for Canadian securities

DEATH AND TAXES You’ve heard the saying about this − there are two sure things in life. On top of that, when you die, there may be additional income tax payable owing to the “deemed disposition” rules and other rules that apply specifically upon death. Before we get to those issues, in the year of […]