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:

Picture this, you’re in a rush so you check your driving app to find the quickest route to your destination. You’ve got the car packed and you are on your way.  The drive is going well, and you are on track to make it to your destination just in time; that is, until you hit a couple of construction detours.As you sit in traffic, you wonder why the app sent you down a road that wasn’t ready for traffic? This is the feeling many taxpayers and their advisors are having as they try to comply to file form UHT-2900 by the October 31 deadline this month.

The Millennials, children of Boomers and GenX, parents of the Alpha Gen, are the fastest growing population in Canada, at 33.2%, and are part of the cohort that is the median age in Canada in 2023:  41 years. A recent study found millennials were 1.4 times more likely to file for insolvency than Gen X aged 42 to 56, and 1.7 times more likely than baby boomers aged 57 to 76. Insolvent millennials were on average 33 years old and owed an average of $47,283 in unsecured debt. They need financial planning help, especially to understand their continued access to refundable benefits.

It goes without saying the filing tax returns and elections on time will help taxpayers prevent the punitive late filing penalties.  But, if the filing deadline has passed, look to the Voluntary Disclosure Program to see if you qualify to reduce penalties when late filing.  And then, if a return has been filed late, look to the Taxpayer Relief program to see if you qualify for tax forgiveness. The following are a summary of the programs.

Did you know that effective starting in 2020 and before 2025, it’s possible to write off your digital news subscription as a non-refundable tax credit?  Did you miss writing it off in the past couple of years?  You can adjust your tax returns back to 2020 and get a tax refund.  Here are the details:

We asked tax and financial professionals whether they believe Canadians have trust in their tax department, and surprisingly over 75% said no. Do you agree? Check out some of the many interesting comments we received.  

There is a lot to consider this upcoming tax season when it comes to filing personal returns and increased risk for investors and owner managers. Are you prepared to help? Take a duo of CE Summits with Knowledge Bureau this November and January and get the tools you need to help a variety of client profiles. Plus, you save on tuition with a Duo CE Summit Event Pass!