Fall Federal Budget: Will Spending Be Cut?
Canada has historically presented an annual budget since Confederation in 1867, even through periods like World Wars and the Great Depression, but we have recently experienced the longest period without a full federal budget in our history. By the time the next one is brought down, expected in October 2025, it will have been 18 months since the controversial April 2024 budget which introduced the doomed capital gains inclusion rate hikes. What can we expect?14 Income Sources that Attract No Tax
Canadians pay a lot of tax! In fact, tax is the single greatest lifetime expense: an average two-income earning family could pay in excess of $1 million over their lifetime. While meeting with clients to file their 2018 taxes, it’s a great strategy to discuss the tax exempt income sources. Planning to earn more of them will help with cash flow and paying less tax next season.
Provincial Budget Tax Changes for Ontario, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick
Three more provinces have released their provincial budgets throughout March and April. Neither New Brunswick’s released on March 19, nor Saskatchewan’s on March 20, included significant tax changes. However, Ontario’s new Conservative government released its highly-anticipated first budget on April 11; and it includes some tax changes that residents of the province will be happy with. Here’s the round-up:
Tax Season Statistics: A Long Way to Go with Only 30% of T1s Filed to Date
Get ready for the last minute T1 filing rush! According to the CRA, just over 10.6 million tax returns were filed as of April 1; against a total of over 30 million in the last tax season. While electronic filing is the preferred choice for filing again, the average refund has decreased.
Disability Tax Credit: Taxpayers Found and Won Back Concessions
Health transition planning is an emerging trend, to be discussed in May at the CE Summits tour with special guest expert Karen Henderson. One way advisors can help is to keep an eye on recent tax issues for disabled Canadians – particularly those with diabetes. These taxpayers have struggled to access and retain two important government benefits, The Disability Tax Credit (DTC) and Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP).
New Mutual Fund Rules: Tax Certainty Losses for Retirement Savers
Taxpayers may be rightly concerned about three new provisions regarding the taxation of mutual funds and ETFs. These changes affect retirement income certainty for Boomers’ investment funds that will be subject to new income calculations on redemptions of the investments, starting with fiscal years that begin after March 19, 2019.
Employment Insurance Options: Do We Really Need More?
The government continues to expand the Employment Insurance (EI) benefits available to Canadians, most recently to enable workers to take training supported with the new Canada Training Credit. But, when statistics show that EI take-up rates are on the decline*, are increases in EI premiums warranted?
