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:

Canadians should have their financial houses in order. While Canada’s financial system is strong, says the Bank of Canada (BofC) in its December Financial System Review (FSR), it is not immune from the “challenges” that threaten global stability.

The growth of large firms — those with more than 500 employees — outstripped the growth in medium-sized and small firms between 2001 and 2008.

It’s Christmas time and the spirit of giving fills the frosty air, at least here in Manitoba, where we are surely in for a traditional, cold winter.

Proposed changes to the Income Tax Act will oblige taxpayers to report “avoidance transactions” if the transactions include two of three existing “hallmarks.”

The prescribed annual interest rate that will apply to any amounts owed to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is 5% for the first quarter of 2013, unchanged from the previous quarter.

Claims for the Children’s Arts and Children’s Fitness tax credits are based on when the payment is made, not the year in which the activities are scheduled.