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.

At this special time of the year, we like to pause to think about all we are grateful for, and that’s first and foremost our treasured relationship with you. Thank you for your commitment, your friendship and support.

Knowledge Bureau is pleased to release two important tools to assist taxpayers and their advisors with authoritative tax information that’s fast and accurate: the 2018 Income Tax Estimator in the Knowledge Bureau Toolkit, and the new T1 Return, which appears in EverGreen Explanatory Notes.

It’s official, family income sprinkling rules will take effect January 1, 2018, and, unless a family member can show active participation under still-complicated reasonableness tests, distributions of income from private family businesses will be taxed at top tax rates, with none of the progressivity in tax rates available to individuals. This will require an immediate rethinking of resources available to the economic unit known as the family business.

In the spirit of the season, it’s heartwarming to know that the vast majority of Canadians are lending a helping hand to those in need. And what goes around comes around: be sure to inform your clients about tax credits they may qualify for, thanks to their generosity.

There is still time to consider your own unique RRSP tax strategy to reduce income and taxes and increase refundable tax credits for your financial gain in 2018. The RRSP contribution deadline is March 1, 2018. Following is the last of our series of a dozen tips to consider as the holidays begin and before this year ends:

When setting your career-related New Year’s resolutions, it’s important to ask yourself a key question: “Do I see myself as an employee or an entrepreneur?”