Seniors Targeted? The Tax Audits Begin

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) routinely reviews or audits tax filings, including personal, trust, corporate, and HST returns. The most common types of reviews that focus on personal tax returns include, but are not limited to, Pre-Assessment Reviews, Processing Reviews, and the Matching Program. This year there is a new focus: the Multigenerational Home Renovation Tax Credit introduced to help families better care for their elders. But claiming it, like other tax benefits, comes with a tax snare. Read on to learn more.

Each year, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada publishes a list of prescribed regions that have experienced either drought conditions or excess moisture. Farmers in these regions qualify to defer reporting the proceeds from the sale of a portion of their breeding herd if they meet certain conditions.

Finance Canada recently released proposals to amend certain sections of the Income Tax Act (the Act) pertaining to the tax treatment of certain trusts, which only came into force on January 1, 2016. To the relief of many tax and legal practitioners, the proposals remedy some undesirable aspects of the amendments,  especially as it relates to charitable giving.

One document you must remember to keep track of after filing your tax return is your Notice of Assessment or Reassessment from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).

Many people don’t understand one of the most fundamental reasons to file a tax return: claim lucrative refundable tax credits.  It’s especially important for families that qualify for the Canada  Child Tax Benefit, which is expected to be enhanced this July.

Using comprehensive tax reduction strategies as a leading weapon in sustaining family wealth always makes sense, but never more than this year. In an investment climate in which there is very little certainty, it pays to look for winners we can count on: tax-efficient investments, for example.

Taxpayers who performed services outside Canada for more than six consecutive months during 2015, for either a qualifying Canadian employer or a Canadian-owned foreign affiliate, will qualify for a special tax credit.