Time’s Up: CRA’s 100 Day Mandate for Improvement

After years of frustration on the part of tax professionals and taxpayers alike, the Finance Minister ordered the Canada Revenue Agency to clean up its act in 100 days. Specifically, the improvement plan was to run from September 2 through December 11. Finance Minister and Minister of National Revenue, Francoise-Phillippe Champagne instructed CRA to fix “unacceptable wait times and service delays.” Time’s up this week and CRA has released an update on progress. What gets measured, gets done. Let’s see what CRA’s metrics show. 

New Governor of the Bank of Canada (the Bank), Stephen S. Poloz, told a Vancouver board of Trade audience last week that the key to economic growth in Canada lies in the creation of new businesses which in turn, create new jobs, and the new income required to propel our economy forward in the near future. 

It’s my favorite time of the year: with the beauty of fall comes the opportunity to arrange your affairs within the framework of the law to pay only the correct amount of taxes in 2013—no more.

In its Backgrounder to the new Section 237.3, which defines reportable tax avoidance transactions that may be subject to the General Anti Avoidance Rules, Finance Canada has assured taxpayers that the provision, is for “administrative purposes only” and therefore it is unlikely that it will be used to incriminate a taxpayer. 

On September 20, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) announced that it would revoke the registered charitable status of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) Development Foundation.

If you are running an incorporated business you may be in financial position to supplement your RRSP with an IPP, which is a defined benefit pension plan. The IPP offers both maximum tax relief and a maximum retirement pension.

The kids are back in school and now you're back to that job you never liked anyways...