News Room

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. 

Up to Speed? Rules Change for RPP and Salary Deferral Leaves

On July 2, the government released draft legislation to temporarily change some of the rules around salary deferral leave and Registered Pension Plans. Here’s what you need to know:

Interest Rate Steady: What It Means for Taxpayers

Need some positivity in your life? The  new Bank of Canada Governor, Tiff Macklem announced yesterday that the benchmark interest rate would remain 0.25% (where it’s been since March) and will do so until the 2% inflation target is reached, which might take at least two years, according to their Monetary Policy Report.  But there is more good news:

Commission Salespeople: Fill Knowledge Gaps on The Tax Consequences

Are you in the dark about tax rules for employed and self-employed taxpayers?  Shore up your knowledge base now with two new short courses from Knowledge Bureau in the new Knowledge Gap Series. Here’s what you’ll learn online (that means in the comfort of home, office, cottage or beach), and the price is right, too.

Educational Calendar: Important 2020 Tax, Financial and Educational Events

Mark your calendar: there are some important dates coming up for those with an interest in tax and financial planning, including some exciting new educational opportunities with Knowledge Bureau. 

Economic Update: Unprecedented $713 Billion to be Borrowed in 2020-21

According to the July 8 Economic Snapshot, the Canadian economy is projected to shrink by 6.8%, the worst economic contraction since the Great Depression.  Worse, Canadians face an unprecedented total market debt level of $1.236 Trillion dollars projected for the end of 2020-21 and the government plans to finance $713 billion of that, which means that each of Canada’s 37,742,154 people, now face a liability of $32,748.66.  It’s no wonder the PBO issued a report on a “wealth tax” the same day.

How Did the Major Federal Pandemic Response Benefits Contribute to the Deficit?

Here’s a quick overview of the pandemic response provisions and their costs.
 
 
 
Knowledge Bureau Poll Question

It costs a lot more to go to work these days. Should the Canada Employment Credit of $1501 for 2026 be raised higher to account for this?

  • Yes
    35 votes
    87.5%
  • No
    5 votes
    12.5%