Changes to Paper Filing Disempowering

Last tax season, only 7% of all Canadian tax filers filed on paper. The CRA is pushing for zero. It continues to steer the holdouts to digitized filing by adding lots of obstacles. Most recently, it is removing almost all the schedules from the tax return package it mails. This seems unfair to people who paper file because they can’t afford a computer and internet, distrust the security of online filing and those who are neither tax or computer literate. Here’s what they are up against:

You can enter this month’s skill-testing financial trivia question to win a free registration to the DAC in Kelowna, where this year’s theme will be:  CANADA 150: Financial Advice at the Crossroads of Change.

Laramie Tan-Amit Developed Her Competitive Edge as DFA – Tax Services Specialist:

“As we look back and move forward, we would all be advised to remember that pride goes before the fall.” Former Bank of Canada Governor, Mark Carney in Geneva, 2010

Because employers are generally required to pay for the premises, assets and supplies used up by their employees in performing their duties, the employees themselves have few out-of-pocket costs to claim on the tax return. In some cases, the employee will have expenditures, but to claim them, very specific procedures must be followed.

For many taxpayers, the end of February marks the deadline for the annual ritual of contributing to their RRSP.  This year the contribution deadline for 2016 is March 1, 2017.  But is this last-minute rush to contribute the best course of action?

Retirement is one of life’s most exciting times: a time for exploration, shift in focus and demand for new knowledge and skills. For most clients, it is new territory and as a caring advisor it’s a wonderful opportunity to ‘ride shotgun’.