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:

Join Canada's most prolific tax author, Evelyn Jacks, and Knowledge Bureau's special guest instructors at the full-day, comprehensive Personal Tax Bootcamp. Approach the busy 2014 tax season with the best tax mindset – enrol you and your team by January 10.

December 15 was the official print date of the 2013 income tax forms (as contained in General Income Tax and Benefit Package for 2013) and as of that date these forms have been available in EverGreen Explanatory Notes and can be viewed, downloaded, and printed by all current self-study students as well as to EverGreen subscribers. These forms will not be available for download from the CRA website until January 3, 2014.

The Governor of the Bank of Canada, Stephen Poloz, told a business audience at the Canadian Club in Montreal on December 12 that it is imperative to keep interest rates at their current historical low in order to stave off the threat of deflation.

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) stated that there is no evidence that the $381,000 rebate cheque issued to mob boss Nicolo Rizzuto in 2007 while in prison was due to fraud, collusion or corruption by its employees.

It has been a pleasure to serve the close to 22,000 subscribers to Knowledge Bureau Report this year and to feature up-to-the minute commentary on tax and economic affairs from our stable of contributors including our researchers, course writers, in-class instructors, guest writers, editors and technical distributors of the information. They have each done a phenomenal job.

In 2004, an Albertan insurance company, La Souveraine, duly registered with the Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF), issued a master policy on recreational vehicles at dealerships all over Canada, including 56 located in Quebec. La Souveraine then retained the services of a Winnipeg based broker that was not registered with the AMF.