Podcast: Automatic Tax Filing - Will It Work?

Last week Taxpayers' Ombudsperson François Boileau  tabled his annual report:  In Pursuit of Better Service: Taxpayers Deserve More.  once again, it was nothing short of scathing, as CRA received its highest number of complaints in the last three years.  Calling our “completely nuts” Income Tax Act a potential barrier, he is nonetheless pushing for automatic tax filing as a potential solution.  A new episode of Real Tax News with Evelyn Jacks & Friends available next week, will feature guest Gillian Petit, Ph.D. - author of a great report, Welcome News for Lower-Income Canadians, but There’s More to Do - which takes a deeper dive.  Consider the following:

Last week’s federal budget proposed to improve access to education funding with a series of new initiatives including improved access to bonds, loans and grants. Planning for student debt repayment, however, should be a critical first step with students, alongside the application process. Tax and financial planners can be of important assistance.

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.