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. 

If there was one insight I gained as I worked on the Federal Task Force for Financial Literacy is that more than any other single issue, challenges of financial literacy affect every Canadian and bind us together in our mutual need for financial education.

Up until 2009, CRA took the position that where you accumulate frequent flyer points while travelling on employer-paid business trips and used them to obtain air travel or other benefits for personal use by you or your family, the fair market value of such air travel or other benefits must be included in your income.

The March 21, 2013 budget closed several loopholes including synthetic dispositions. Knowledge Bureau Report has been examining examples of arrangements that are now closed and their financial outcomes. Last issue we examined the forward sale of securities; in this issue, we provide an example involving the forward sale of other assets.

Health care and home care is expensive to governments and can leave gaps in services that you may find unacceptable for your loved one.

Tradition Law, LLP and Knowledge Bureau partner to help Powers of Attorney starting with Attorney School in Manitoba on June 1.

WINNIPEG, MANITOBA – According to a recent survey conducted by the Manitoba Securities Commission (MSC), one in five Manitobans have been approached by what they thought was investment fraud, thirty percent of Manitobans don’t recognize investment fraud and twenty five percent believe that reporting investment fraud is more trouble than it is worth.