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. 

The Investment Income Calculator provides a step-by-step method for planning investment income for a single client or a couple over a four-year period. The calculator deals with TFSAs, registered investments (including RPPs, RRSPs, RESPs, and DPSPs) as well as non-registered investments.

The Money Matters: Financial Lessons for Life 2014 calendars are full of timely and relevant money matter tips and make wonderful client gifts. Ensure your calendars with a pre-order – the 2013 calendar sold out! English and French calendars available. Order by August 15.

The federal government gave character conversion transactions a mid-summer reprieve on July 11, making the transition process somewhat easier for companies that use derivative forward agreements to change the character of income transactions to capital transactions.

CRA answered close to 3 million calls this past tax filing season, and 20 million—or over 76% of tax filers—filed electronically this year, an increase of 17% over last year.

One of the most difficult asset transitions can involve the family cottage. In this second of a two-part article in family cottage planning, Knowledge Bureau author David Christianson discusses potential solutions to this sticky issue.

This year’s average tax refund of $1641 takes a big bite out of retirement savings for Canadian families.