Time’s Up: CRA’s 100 Day Mandate for Improvement

After years of frustration on the part of tax professionals and taxpayers alike, the Finance Minister ordered the Canada Revenue Agency to clean up its act in 100 days. Specifically, the improvement plan was to run from September 2 through December 11. Finance Minister and Minister of National Revenue, Francoise-Phillippe Champagne instructed CRA to fix “unacceptable wait times and service delays.” Time’s up this week and CRA has released an update on progress. What gets measured, gets done. Let’s see what CRA’s metrics show. 

We have heard a lot about inflation in the last few weeks as the economy gets up and running again, and many people have been feeling stress about this.  This should be a big concern to employers, too, according to the Financial Consumer Association of Canada.    The issue will also be addressed at Virtual DAC Acuity 2021, October 17-19 with special guest speaker Dr. Brian Shaw, a well-known sports psychologist for the Blue Jays and author who has written about stress management for top financial professionals.  Financial advisors can help; here’s what you should be thinking about:

Join Knowledge Bureau President Evelyn Jacks, and guest speakers for a full professional training experience at the next Virtual CE Summit on September 23, 2021. Early-bird registration ends Sept 15.

It was such a hit last month, we’re doing it again:  Speed Networking so save the date: September 8th at 3:30 pm CT.  The Society of Real Wealth Managers’™ invites you to Meet a Real Wealth Manager (RWM™) to discuss ways to collaborate to bring high value care in the best interests of your clients.

The government has promised to increase Old Age Security by 10% for seniors over age 74, but that increase won’t kick in until the July 2022 payments.  However, this month, a one-time payment of $500 (with zero withholding)  will be made to seniors who meet the following criteria:

Have you agreed to be an executor for a loved one?  I just know you want to be ready and informed about what to do when the time comes.  When it is time to ‘be’ the executor, you could very well be feeling the emotions of your loss.  For that reason, amongst others, the time to check into what is involved is NOW! 

The recently concluded Olympics were a thrill and a testament to the resilience of our athletes.  Their commitment has financial consequences, however. This is because athletes must maintain amateur status to compete.  For these reasons, trusts for amateur athletes allow for the deferral of qualifying income for up to eight years.   There are a number of tax consequences to be aware of, however, for the athletes and the amateur associations that promote the sports.