Podcast: Automatic Tax Filing - Will It Work?

Last week Taxpayers' Ombudsperson François Boileau  tabled his annual report:  In Pursuit of Better Service: Taxpayers Deserve More.  once again, it was nothing short of scathing, as CRA received its highest number of complaints in the last three years.  Calling our “completely nuts” Income Tax Act a potential barrier, he is nonetheless pushing for automatic tax filing as a potential solution.  A new episode of Real Tax News with Evelyn Jacks & Friends available next week, will feature guest Gillian Petit, Ph.D. - author of a great report, Welcome News for Lower-Income Canadians, but There’s More to Do - which takes a deeper dive.  Consider the following:

Good news on the labor front in Canada:  the unemployment rate dropped to 9.0% in September, down from a high of 13.7% in May.  Further, the September Labour Force Survey released October 9 for the week of September 13 to 19, reported fewer people receiving the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) , EI or the Canada Emergency Student Benefit (13.5% down from 16.1%) and that the employment rate rose 2.1%.  So, what’s the bad news?   

The pandemic has changed the financial picture for a lot of Canadians. The good news?  Changes in income levels can produce tax savings few people have thought about. Reduced income, for example, may change the taxpayer’s requirement to make their December 15 instalment payment.  Or they may qualify now to collect tax benefits they would otherwise not be entitled to. Check out this true-to-life example:

 “There is nothing government can give you that it hasn’t taken from you in the first place.”- Sir Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of the UK 1940-1945 and 1951-1955.

Be on the forefront of a massive shift in your business: learn how to transform your services to the highly personalized, digital solutions your clients now demand. It's not too late to join advisors from coast to coast in the unique virtual conference and networking experience we have created for you at the 17th annual Distinguished Advisor Conference October 28 – 30 (with access for completion of the program until November 14).

Is a taxable dividend a better option than paying a salary or bonus? There are close to 2 million small businesses in Canada, and many of them are looking for financial professionals to provide simple answers to complex questions such as this, so they can minimize risks to their business.   It’s a big opportunity for practice growth, but to work well with these clients, it’s critical to understand owner-manager remuneration options at year end.  Now you can step up to better guide these clients, by learning from experienced experts on November 18.

Are you ready to train new and staff on personal tax changes for 2020 at a comprehensive professional level?  Knowledge Bureau has just published its all new advanced T1 training course for experienced pros and it features fun and challenging new true-to-life case studies; all of which can be done online.