Immediate Expensing Rules: Good Tax Policy?

Over the course of the last two federal budgets (April 16, 2024 and November 4, 2025), the rules for claiming Capital Cost Allowance (CCA) have been uncertain. The proposal to extend immediate expensing rules for certain acquired assets were paused for over a year and then re-introduced in a series of four complex measures which together with new rules for Scientific Research and Experimental Development have become known as the “Productivity Super-Deduction”.  A backdrop appears below. The key question: will this complexity be effective as an economic stimulator?   

With the recently proposed tax reforms, more doors continue to close on opportunities for income-splitting between spouses. However, there is still one key strategy—the inter-spousal loan—that can minimize tax where one person in the couple earns significantly more than the other.

Last week, the 14th Distinguished Advisor Conference (DAC) took place in beautiful Kelowna. Please help us thank and acknowledge the incredible sponsors that helped bring this event to fruition, and the many Knowledge Bureau graduates who have offered their ongoing support - check out all the incredible speakers, networking and fun in the photo gallery!

The tax proposals introduced on July 18, 2017, are complex and continue to evolve, promising some mind-numbing complexing for business clients. Tax and financial advisors need to gain a thorough understanding of the intricacies of these proposals in order to reduce the impact on their clients. The November CE Summits will address this need, in a focused session featuring family business tax expert Larry Frostiak. Note - Registration ends today, November 15.

This week brought more controversial tax news to Canadians: the Paradise Papers and a new tax “consultation”; this time in advance of the 2018 Federal budget.   The elephant in the room in both these stories is the unfinished “consultation” on the massive tax changes proposed for private businesses.

The Distinguished Advisor Conference was an outstanding success with all of the speakers delivering thought leadership with passion and conviction to the theme:  Financial Advice at the Crossroads of Change.

In one of the most talked-about and ground-breaking sessions at this year’s Distinguished Advisor Conference, futurist Jan Bartscht, brought a stark message to the approximately 200 delegates in attendance:  you must innovate or die in a stark business reality: 40 per cent of major companies will not survive the digital disruptions of the next five years.