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:

The June 15 tax filing deadline for proprietorships is just around the corner.  But, there’s another problem soon to befall delinquent taxpayers:  the tax collector is coming if you haven’t paid up, and you can expect a “no excuses” approach.

Significant gains in transfer payments combined with good market income growth translated into an increase in median income for Canadian households, to $57,000 in the period 2000 to 2016. There is a message in the numbers for pre-retirees, and in particular women: be proactive about tax-efficient investing now or risk poverty in retirement.

The transformation of the CPP, new income splitting rules for family business and more are changing the retirement planning game, and a new study shows that clients find the most value when their tax or financial advisors make retirement-related services a priority.

Understanding CPP changes is something Canadians continue to struggle with. Here is some history, and key guidelines to share with your clients and guide you in leading them towards tax-efficient income planning decisions in 2018 and beyond.

Now that it’s May, a whole new tax season – 2018 - has begun! It’s prime time to “spring into studies” and enhance your career with knowledge and skills in personal tax consultancy.  Why?  Artificial intelligence and software solutions can’t replace the true value of specialized advice.

Small businesses in Canada are responsible for employing 8.2 million Canadians, which is 70.5 percent of the total labour force.1 Recent tax changes impacting small-business owners require broader, deeper tax knowledge for accurate, audit-proof returns. It’s time to brush up on audit-proof tax filing skills now in advance of the June 15 final filing deadline.