News Room

Podcast: Automatic Tax Filing - Will It Work?

Last week Taxpayers' Ombudsperson François Boileau  tabled his annual report:  In Pursuit of Better Service: Taxpayers Deserve More.  once again, it was nothing short of scathing, as CRA received its highest number of complaints in the last three years.  Calling our “completely nuts” Income Tax Act a potential barrier, he is nonetheless pushing for automatic tax filing as a potential solution.  A new episode of Real Tax News with Evelyn Jacks & Friends available next week, will feature guest Gillian Petit, Ph.D. - author of a great report, Welcome News for Lower-Income Canadians, but There’s More to Do - which takes a deeper dive.  Consider the following:

The New Role for the Tax Accountant When a Business Transitions

Accounting departments in growing companies have a special role in collaborating with shareholders:  to help  those at the financial helm to understand not only where the business results lie today, but what  resources it will need to support future growth, potential financing gaps, and how they can best addressed.

Practice Management:  The Ultimate Canadian Paperless Tax Office

Year end tax planning includes upgrading tax office environments to substantially increase efficiencies. The proof appears to be in the pudding: TaxCycle users  are reporting a 41% decrease in paper printing and handling, 30% more accurate tax preparation and 21% time savings per client engagement.

Less Than a Month Away:  Strategic Practice Management a Highlight at the DAC

How do advisors successfully engage multiple generations in a digital world in order to build and sustain family wealth?

More Seniors Than Babies: Eight Drivers Towards a New Tax Strategy

It’s an important cross-over: for the first time, Canada’s 65-year-olds have outnumbered children ages 0 to 14.

FATCA is Here for Good

The first transfer of Canadian banking information to the Internal Revenue Service was completed September 30, as reported last week.  That was the result of a September 16 appeal in which The Honourable Mr. Justice Martineau of the Canadian Federal Court in Vancouver ruled that the U.S. Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) legislation is both legal under Canadian law and not inconsistent with the U.S./Canada Tax Treaty.

Family Dynamics Aside, Income Was Reportable

An argument that is mathematically possible will not avail a taxpayer who is found by the Court not to be credible.  That was the unfortunate result for a taxpayer who took on CRA in a case of unreported income.
 
 
 
Knowledge Bureau Poll Question

According to CRA, Canadians experience improved service delivery and responsiveness from the CRA this tax season. Do you agree?

  • Yes
    8 votes
    8.6%
  • No
    85 votes
    91.4%