Changes to Paper Filing Disempowering

Last tax season, only 7% of all Canadian tax filers filed on paper. The CRA is pushing for zero. It continues to steer the holdouts to digitized filing by adding lots of obstacles. Most recently, it is removing almost all the schedules from the tax return package it mails. This seems unfair to people who paper file because they can’t afford a computer and internet, distrust the security of online filing and those who are neither tax or computer literate. Here’s what they are up against:

Currently the Income Tax Act (the Act) ensures disclosure of taxpayer information by Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) officials is specifically prohibited unless in relation to a criminal investigation or in emergency circumstances.

A recent decision of the British Columbia Supreme Court has held that the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) owes taxpayers a duty of care; this new finding means that taxpayers can now sue the CRA for negligence. 

Discovery: the process of requesting and receiving relevant documents from the other side is one of the most important stages of any litigation. When the other party is the Minister of National Revenue (the Minister) the discovery stage can seem like a David vs. Goliath type struggle.

Lots of great material has been released lately about global and Canadian wealth trends. Three works come to mind as must-reads...

Steve currently makes $84,000 in his small unincorporated business in BC; he wants to pay his new wife Carin half this amount, as they work together in the business. How much will the family save on taxes if they split income?

Either parent may claim the costs of adopting a child or they may split the costs as long as no more than the actual amount spent is claimed.