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?

The prescribed interest rates for April 1 to June 30, 2017, remain unchanged on overdue taxes and tax overpayments, and for calculations of taxable benefits and shareholder loans. However, the interest rates on PLOI—Pertinent Loans or Indebtedness—have been changed this quarter.

In the recent federal budget, the federal government continued its commitment to supporting and funding innovation to grow Canada’s economy and build a strong middle class. There is evidence all around us that technology is fueling new enterprises all over the globe, in what has become known as “the sharing economy.”

With recent changes to the taxation of trusts, more beneficiaries may find themselves reporting trust income personally, when they are in a lower tax bracket than the trust itself. Executors, too, need to be informed about the best planning strategies. For these reasons, tax advisors must prepare themselves to answer questions about trust filing and planning.

Tax and financial advisors need to pay attention to cross-border taxation issues for Canadian clients who have real estate or financial assets in the US, and for US citizens who live in Canada or face the real possibility of legal action for any failure to report to either government. The Distinguished Advisor Workshops (DAW) being held in six cities May 29 to June 6 will cover the most pressing questions advisors have in this area, together with detailed analysis of the March 22, 2017, federal budget.

It's time once again for our skill-testing financial trivia contest—your chance to win a free registration to DAC in beautiful Kelowna, British Columbia, where this year’s theme will be CANADA 150: Financial Advice at the Crossroads of Change.

Making new progress and refreshing your knowledge: Lori Campbell, Master Financial Advisor, Manitoba