Finance Canada: No More Spring Budgets

Finance Canada announced on October 7 that Canada’s federal budgets will be brought down in the fall starting with the November 4, 2025 event; a significant departure from the spring schedule (February, March or April) that has been the cycle for several decades. This is going to affect many other events as we know them, and in the annual government spending approval cycle. There will also be a new budget process for capital vs. operational expenses. Here’s what you need to know:

Canada’s last Federal Budget occurred on March 19, 2019.  The 2021 budget has now been deferred again making it more than two years since our country had one.  Why is this important news?  Because Canadians need to make decisions about their financial futures, with the benefit of economic forecasting and certainty about tax law.  And there are many recommendations about needed change to talk about.  

In any already complex tax year for many taxpayers who claimed COVID-19 income support benefits, there’s another complication being added to the mix. Last week, the CRA confirmed that some taxpayers who repaid benefits they were not eligible for in 2020 have received tax slips that incorrectly include portions of the repaid benefits as taxable income.

March 15 is coming up quickly, and it’s a date that the ancient Romans considered the deadline for settling debts. It’s also an upcoming quarterly tax instalment deadline with the CRA . Our modern day tax departments looks to have their debt paid in advance from certain taxpayers.  Here is what you need to know:

Busy small business owners in your community are in desperate need of reliable and highly-qualified bookkeeping services to interpret the documentation and assemble it so that they can make smart tax-efficient decisions that focus on the future financial health of the business. Get new skills to enter this in-demand field, or further enhance your existing credentials with important training opportunities from Knowledge Bureau, now available online.

Did you know that Knowledge Bureau is a private, educational institution certified by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) to provide courses that develop or improve skills for those working in the tax, bookkeeping, accounting, and financial services industries? What this also means is that Knowledge Bureau students who have paid 2020 tuition fees in excess of $100 qualify for the tuition fee amount, and the T2202 tax slips to claim this are now available in your Virtual Campus.

“The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality.”  Max DePree, Chairman Emeritus of Herman Miller Inc. I love this quote because it sets out a challenge for leaders.  In an era of mistrust and “fake news” the responsibility of a leader is to demonstrate and define what is real and what is not, so that the organization, community or family can make sound decisions about the future.