Wildfires: Apply for Taxpayer Relief Provisions

It may not be the first concern, but Canadians affected by wildfires may worry at some point about the tax consequences of lost records or missed filing deadlines – the next one on June 16 for those filing T1 returns with proprietorship income. Fortunately, the CRA offers Taxpayer Relief Provisions when there are circumstances beyond a taxpayer’s control, including natural disasters, serious illness or death in the family, or errors made by the CRA, which may trigger penalties and interest due to late or incomplete tax filings. Here’s what you need to know.

The Canada Revenue Agency completed nearly 112,000 audits during fiscal 2016-17, according to a government report on recent efforts to crack down on tax cheats. If you or your clients are chosen for an audit, there are a few best practices that can help you through the process.

“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.” — Oprah Winfrey

Canadian portfolio manager and 25-year veteran of the financial services industry, Douglas V. Nelson, CFP, MFA, CLU, CIM, has been awarded the 2017 DAC Client Innovation Scholarship Award, to be presented at the Distinguished Advisor Conference in Kelowna, B.C., November 5-8. The award was co-founded by Knowledge Bureau and Franklin Templeton Investments in 2016.

Canadian household debt hit a record in the second quarter of this year, at $1.68 of debt for every dollar of income. As interest rates increase and debt levels soar, your clients run the risk of much greater uncertainty about their financial security.

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Jan Sawchuk, of Peachland, B.C., on the Basic Bookkeeping for Small Businesses course