Bill C-31: Royal Asset and New CRA Powers Could Come Soon

Changes are coming to the Income Tax Act and both you and your clients will all be affected with new tax risks including longer tax audits. Bill C-31, which passed second reading in the House of Commons on June 3 and is now at committee stage, contains elements of previous Federal Budgets that will expand the CRA’s compliance and enforcement powers. Here’s what you need to know and pass along to your clients:

Back in June, we told you that our popular Distinguished Advisor Workshops (DAW) were being renamed to CE Summits to bring you even more expert ideas. In case you missed it, here's everything you need to know:

When commenting about the “Understanding Family Dynamics” course, David Bwamiki from Primerica said: “My objectives were met because the course presented real-life examples that I often encounter.”

A Special Knowledge Bureau Report: Buried at the height of summer holidays, the Finance Department has released a significantly complex and potentially punitive proposal to change the integration of the personal and corporate taxation system for private enterprises and provided a mere 75 days to provide feedback. 

The proposed changes to the taxation of private business income and equity, released on July 18, 2017, will affect the income paid to family members who are not actively engaged in the business, as well as limit their access to the Capital Gains Exemption.

The Finance Department is proposing alternatives to the taxation of passive income earned in a private corporation. This will dramatically alter after-tax income results, essentially taxing the income earned by corporate investing at the top marginal rates and then taxing distributions once more at personal tax rates. 

Day trading is effective for RRSPs and RRIFs accounts but not for TFSA investing activities. This doesn’t seem to be a logical strategy on CRA’s part, seeing as it is currently looking for millions in penalties and interest from investors who didn’t understand the rules.