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Voter casting a ballot during Canada's federal election 2021

UPDATED: Tax changes are likely with the new minority government

The very brief federal election campaign that few Canadians wanted is now over. We know which party will form the next government and which ones will provide the support that the victorious Liberals need to govern. It was no surprise that neither the Liberals nor the Conservatives garnered enough seats to win a majority. Now […]

Office workers

COVID-19 Update: Ottawa extends CERB, overhauls Employment Insurance program

As the fall approaches, federal COVID-19 relief measures are slowly wound down and the economic recovery plods along at a glacial pace with a potential pandemic second wave looming large, Ottawa understood that Canadians would need additional financial assistance in the months ahead. It delivered a costly new aid package last week that includes significant […]

KRP LLP COVID-19 response

Ottawa outlines new 75% Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy

The federal government today announced details of the much-anticipated Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy.  As we noted in a previous blog, the program is designed to support Canadian businesses struggling to meet payroll and other operational needs in the face of the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis, while protecting jobs and discouraging further layoffs. Under the proposed plan, […]

Maple Leaf

What Ontario’s Fall 2019 economic update means for your business

The business community in Ontario just received a modest, yet business-friendly, tax reduction courtesy of Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservative government. The move is a step towards achieving balanced budget while looking to encourage economic activity within the province Specifically, Wednesday’s Fall Economic Statement announced proposals to reduce the small business Corporate Income Tax rate to […]

Tax payments

Election 2019 Platform Comparison: How each party’s policies would impact your business

As Election 2019 grinds to a close and Canadians get set to choose their next prime minister, many voters are looking forward to seeing the back of an occasionally acrimonious but otherwise dull campaign. Still, this tight horserace has managed to sprinkle in a couple of surprises—a Liberal leader in brown face, a possible new […]

SNC-Lavalin and the sometimes murky ethics of doing business abroad

If the federal Liberals’ SNC-Lavalin scandal has taught us anything, it’s that doing business overseas—particularly in developing countries—isn’t always as simple and straightforward as it is in Canada. As you likely know, the SNC-Lavalin matter erupted into a national scandal when officials in the Prime Minister’s Office—and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau himself—were accused of pushing […]

Federal Budget 2019 does little to address entrepreneurs’ anxieties

If there was any doubt that this is an election year, Federal Budget 2019 offered undeniable proof that we’re about to head to the polls. Finance Minister Bill Morneau tabled a budget yesterday that introduced approximately $23 billion in new spending, with no plan to balance the budget in the foreseeable future. That latter fact […]

Federal economic update provides only modest relief for entrepreneurs

Ottawa’s war against small and medium-sized business owners seems to be over—at least for now. The trouble is the government’s peace offering does little to mitigate the greater threats facing entrepreneurs, from over-taxation and burdensome regulation to tax code complexity. Wednesday’s fall economic update made it clear that the Trudeau Liberals, with an election looming […]

Federal government compromises, eases proposed tax changes for corporations

After several weeks of insistent rhetoric from Ottawa, entrepreneurs across Canada finally received some good news when the federal government began rolling back proposed tax changes for corporations. Although there is still a lack of detail, at least on the surface, there appears to be some compromise. However, there are still some troubling proposals on […]

Sorry Mr. Morneau, Canadian entrepreneurs are not tax cheats

As Finance Minister Bill Morneau wrapped up his cross-country ‘listening tour’ to gauge Canadians’ reaction to proposed federal tax changes this week, it would have been easy to confuse the minister’s message. He has made it clear the federal government is determined to promote greater fairness across the tax system, levelling the playing field for […]