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.Ontario Estate Taxes: Significant and Unexpected
Dynamic Elise Pulver, LLB, will address significant and unexpected changes to the Estate and Administration Tax Act, at the Distinguished Advisor Workshop, June 22 in Toronto.
Would You Voluntarily Contribute Extra to CPP?
Last week, Federal Finance Minister Joe Oliver announced in the House of Commons that the government is open to allowing Canadians to make additional voluntary contributions to their CPP in order in increase their CPP savings.
UCCB Lump Sum is Coming, but Not for Several Weeks Yet
Parents with children under age 18 living at home will be receiving a lump sum of $420 per child with their July Child Tax Benefit payment. This lump sum represents the additional $60 per month per child payable as of January 2015.
How to defend against a Net-Worth Assessment
CRA has applied a net-worth assessment against your client, who now comes to you for help . . . and they are emotional and scared. What do you do first?
“Atrocious” Economic Data, but Healthier Household Debt Ratios
The most recent economic data is indeed atrocious, as Bank of Canada Governor Stephen Poloz predicted in England late last year.
The Big Picture on Debt in Canada
Last week’s KBR reported on a recent Statistics Canada study, Changes in Debt and Assets of Canadian Families, 1999 to 2012, that confirmed a trend that Canadians are carrying more debt than ever before.
