Red Ink on the Prairies

A day after Quebec’s Finance Minister Eric Girard brought down a Budget featuring a $6.3 Billion deficit, Saskatchewan’s Finance Minister Jim Reiter tabled his government’s budget on March 19. Next up was Finance Minister Adrian Salas, who tabled the Manitoba Budget on March 24. The common thread: there’s lots of red ink on the Prairies. But that’s where the budget documents differ between Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Here’s the latest tax news and why it matters to the advice you give your clients.

Starting in 2020, most taxpayers between the age of 25 and 65 began earning an entitlement to the Canada Training Credit of $500 per year. In order to claim the credit, the taxpayer has to have eligible tuition fees for the year. So, what’s the difference between claiming the tuition credit and the Canada Training Credit?

With the "ramped-up" activity of the Canada Revenue Agency ("CRA") relating to taxpayer audits, you and your clients will want to take pre-emptive measures to manage potential audit trouble spots.

Change is difficult at the best of times but today, it’s harder, especially for business leaders, owners and managers. 

Did you know that our newly revamped VIP Affinity Program is still available to Knowledge Bureau graduates?

CRA has finally released the updated Disability Tax Form for the 2021 tax filing year which ended April 30 for individuals and June 15 for proprietors. Medical practitioners who complete Part B of form T2201 Disability Tax Credit Certificate using the digital application process will find that it is now updated to reflect the expanded eligibility criteria for mental functions and life-sustaining therapies, particular interest to diabetics and their caregivers. Here’s what you need to know:

Canadian taxpayers pay substantially higher taxes on personal income, profits & gains, corporate income & gains, payroll taxes and property taxes than the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) average, based on 2019 statistics. Reflecting the environment prior to the pandemic, Canada’s economy was doing well and unemployment was at  5.7% - the lowest annual level on record at that time, according to Statistics Canada. Women and working boomers seem to have suffered the most fallout from the pandemic, but GenXers were not immune to the economic pain either.