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.Legalized Marijuana May Present New Business Liabilities
Cannabis problems at work? It’s one grey area that remains following Canada’s recent marijuana legalization, and employers need to know their obligations with regard to accommodating employees with addictions. Lawyer Philippe Richer weighs in on this important employment issue, which he says is the single largest area of potential liability for businesses.
Take Up Rate for Canada’s Federal Benefits is Extremely Low
New data shows just how many Canadians lack access to federal benefits they’re eligible to receive. This was a topic of discussion with Pierre Labbee, an outreach manager for the Canada Education Savings Program at the recent Distinguished Advisor Conference. But now an annual benefit review of the Canada Child Benefit reveals that this benefit in particular is underused, despite it being accessible to millions, and one of the reasons is a difficult relationship with the CRA.
Highlights of the 15th Annual Distinguished Advisor Conference
Knowledge Bureau celebrated a joyous 15th anniversary with 150 delegates as part of an outstanding program of topics and inspirational messages by all the gifted speakers at the Distinguished Advisor Conference in Quebec City. If you missed out, here are some highlights to inspire you to attend next year’s hot conference in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, November 10-13.
Delegates Rave About the Business Builder Retreat
The first Business Builder Retreat hosted by Knowledge Bureau was a resounding success, according to attendees intent on rejuvenation and leadership skill development at this exclusive Distinguished Advisor Conference (DAC) event.
Lack of Risk Management Understanding Creates Opportunity
The markets have been experiencing more volatility lately and Knowledge Bureau Report’s October poll has uncovered an important opportunity for wealth advisors within the fray. The majority, 89.01 percent of respondants, told us that Canadians don’t understand their capacity for risk-taking – which is measurable - and this affects their level of risk tolerance when markets fluctuate.
CPP Increases for 2019
The maximum Canada Pension Plan (CPP) contributory earnings are indexed annually based on inflation. For 2019, indexation resulted in a 2.68 percent increase over 2018.
