Posts

Person earning tax-free income

July Tax News: Earning tax-free income, GST-HST quirks–and more

WOULD YOU LIKE SOME TAX-FREE INCOME? There are several kinds of income and  benefits that are not subject to tax under the Income Tax Act. To the extent you can get any of these, you won’t need to pay tax on the income, or, in many cases, even report it. Here are some of the […]

residential property flipping

November tax news: Property flipping, rules around investment income in a corporation–and more

RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY FLIPPING If you buy a home or condo, and then sell it soon after you get title — certainly if it’s within 18 months or so — the CRA will usually consider that you have “flipped” the property, and that any gain is fully taxed as business profit, not half-taxed as a capital […]

corporate shares

August tax news: ALDAs, tax-free transfers and TFSA penalties

TAX PLANNING AND ADVANCED LIFE-DEFERRED ANNUITIES (ALDAs) If you own a registered retirement savings plan (RRSP), you must wind it up by the end of the year in which you turn 71. At that point, you have the following options. First, you can take out all the funds in one lump sum. However, since the […]

Property purchase

June tax news: Buying property from a non-resident, HST rules–and more

BUYING PROPERTY FROM A NON-RESIDENT If you are buying real estate — such as a house or condominium, or a commercial property — from a non-resident of Canada, you need to know about your obligation to withhold tax unless the vendor provides you with a “section 116 certificate” from the Canada Revenue Agency. A non-residents […]

Ontario to hike Land Transfer Tax on some residential, commercial properties

Buying a residential or commercial property in Ontario is about to get more expensive. The Government of Ontario recently announced plans to hike land transfer tax (LTT) rates across the province, effective Jan. 1, 2017. As part of those changes, the LTT rate on any portion of the sale value of a single-family residence exceeding […]

How real estate deals could trigger serious tax liabilities

Investing in real estate can be a smart move for many entrepreneurs. Over the past decade or more, strategic real estate purchases—particularly on the residential front—have delivered returns on investment that, in some cases, have far exceeded those offered by equities and virtually all fixed-income savings vehicles. In hot markets such as Vancouver, Toronto—and until […]