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:

The May 1 Ontario budget triggered a provincial election and so it died on the vine; but it’s an important one to understand, none-the-less, as some of its parts may be back at some time in the near future, depending on the outcome of the election.

New rules pertaining to prepaid credit cards took effect on May 1. Finance Minister Joe Oliver held a press conference on April 30 in Ottawa to introduce the new measures that were designed to protect Canadian consumers.

As per subsection 118.1(3) of the Income Tax Act (the Act), an individual may claim a tax credit with respect to a gift made to a registered charity. The amount of the tax credit is determined by the amount of the gift.

Details for a new Ontario Retirement Pension Plan (ORPP) were included in the May 1 Ontario budget and have become an election issue there. Some disagree that the plan is necessary; others are concerned about the immediate economic costs.

Doug Nelson is author of the newly released Master Your Retirement and discusses the "laws" of retirement planning.

When a non-resident, non-U.S. citizen individual goes to the U.S. to work and live temporarily, after their term is almost up and they are contemplating staying in the U.S., many wonder if they should be applying for a U.S. green card rather than renewing their temporary work visa; however, most of the time they don't realize what it means to apply for and obtain a U.S. green card.