Mid-Summer Reviews: When to Collect OAS and CPP

Did you know that 61% of Canadians are afraid of running out of money during retirement? According to a new CPP Investments survey, that fear is widespread. Yet surprisingly few people understand even the basics of public pension planning. For example, Canadians are not obliged to begin OAS or CPP at age 65. By delaying, they can significantly boost after-tax income and improve retirement security.

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) recently released an updated information circular (IC00-1R3) pertaining to the Voluntary Disclosure Program (VDP), which promotes tax compliance by encouraging taxpayers to come forward and correct prior errors and omissions.

The April 19 edition of the Globe and Mail featured a guest column from the Honourable Jim Flaherty, Minister of Finance, who spoke of modernizing a foreign aid program called the General Preferential Tariff. Created in 1974, this program was a commitment from many developed Western countries to assist the economies of the poorest “Third World” countries. A lot has changed since the 1970’s, and our government feels justified in modifying the approach of the Tariff.

The Fraser Institute published an interesting paper by Francois Vaillancourt in April 2010 on what it costs Canadians to comply with their personal income taxes. Leger Marketing did a detailed survey for the national think tank on a sampling of 2000 tax filers based on the 2007 tax filing year. The key results: the use of a tax pro has increased significantly over the past 20 years. 39% of Canadians paid a pro in 1986; 51% of Canadians paid in 2007.

There is some good economic news and some bad in an article released by Statistics Canada on April 17, which reveals interesting statistics about the productivity of each province during the period 1997-2010, using the most recent provincial multifactor productivity database.

Claiming moving expenses on your tax return can be very lucrative so be sure to fill out form T1-M if you moved at least 40 km closer, within Canada, to a new work location, or place of self-employment.

What do the new federal budget changes mean to investors?