Helping First Nations, Inuit and Metis with Tax Filing

The Canada Revenue Agency is trying to reach out to Canada’s First Nations, Inuit and Metis to encourage them to file their tax forms on time and could use your help to make sure these communities get all the tax benefits they are entitled to. But filing tax returns are not always easy, especially when there is income on and off the reserve.

Last month we asked “Do payday loan companies and tax discounting providers still have a place in Canadian financial services?”, and the results are in…

As another financial crisis looms in the US (. . .the government runs out of money on October 1, and the US is about to hit a $16.7 trillion debt ceiling and go into default in mid-October), Lawrence Schembri, the Deputy Governor of the Bank of Canada spoke to the Certified Financial Accountants society (CFA) in Ottawa on September 24th about the necessity of the Financial Stability Board (FSB).

It has been 25 years since the General Anti-Avoidance Rules (GAAR) were implemented as part of our tax code; their application remains somewhat uncertain and experts disagree over its effectiveness.

It’s official: October 1 marks “year end tax planning season” and if you want to make it count, the best place to start making plans is to assess your personal and family net worth.  

Under Section 231.1 of the Act, an authorized person may, at any reasonable time, for any purpose related to the administration or enforcement of the Act, enter into a taxpayer’s premises, inspect and examine property, and require the assistance of the taxpayer to answer all reasonable questions in relation to the enforcement of the Act.

To everything there is a season, and for many, understanding the tax consequences of death on personal and family net worth is a crowning achievement that allows for a powerful wealth transition. This type of preparedness, unfortunately, is rare.