Knowledge Bureau Poll: Tax Cut Doesn’t Cut It!

The Notice of Ways and Means Motion was released on May 27, but the 1% tax rate cut going into effect on July 1, didn’t cut it with Knowledge Bureau Report readers who responded to our May Poll.  A decisive 90% of respondents said “No” when asked: does the new government’s promise to cut the lowest personal income tax rate by 1% to 14%, (14.5% in 2025) go far enough to help Canadians impacted by high costs?  Here were their comments and suggested alternatives based on real life experiences with the after-tax income their struggling clients are left with:

Education is the great engine of personal development. It is through education that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor, that the son of a mineworker can become the head of the mine, that a child of farm workers can become the president of a great nation. It is what we make out of what we have, not what we are given, that separates one person from another.” Nelson Mandela

September 15 is the date on which the third quarterly tax instalment must be remitted to CRA, to avoid interest costs on amounts owing for 2016. CRA may have sent a notice, but is the amount shown on it what is really owed?

Although the government has yet to announce the OAS rates for the fourth quarter, indexation factors specified in the Old Age Security Act indicate a rate increase of 0.9% or $5.16 per month for seniors receiving the standard rate.

Tuition funding is expensive, but there is tax relief. In our final of three reports on education funding, learn how the tax system shares in the cost with parents and students when it comes to funding a post-secondary education.

This year, the Distinguished Advisor Conference is for and about the Top Guns - the leaders of tomorrow in the tax and financial services - and we are pleased to introduce our Top Gun Sponsors who make three days of thought-provoking speakers and topics possible. RSVP by September 30.

This fall, learn an important skill that’s in demand. Retirement income planning is a skillset in high demand by the baby boomer demographic—the most affluent generation in our history.