As 2018 comes to an end, tax advisors across Canada are busy restructuring and planning many corporations to respond to the new tax rules that came into existence this year.
Death of a Taxpayer – A To Do List
Death of a family member is one of the most stressful events in life. To compound the grief, there are final tax matters to deal with either by April 30th of the following year or 6 months after the date of death.
What To Do Upon The Death of a Taxpayer?
Upon the death of a taxpayer, at a minimum, there is a final return (“terminal return”) to be filed with the CRA and three optional returns to be filed if desired. In addition, a trust return to report income received after death is ... Read MoreVancouver Sale of Rental Property and the Principal Residence Exemption
While at dinner recently, a friend of mine, Carla, informed me that she sold her rental property and was curious about the amount of tax that she would owe on the gain. Upon further questioning, I uncovered that, in the past, my friend had lived in this rental property (a condo) for many years. She purchased a second condo a few years back and moved into it. She had then rented out the first condo—the one she just sold. From her line of questioning, I realized that, other than the tax ... Read More
Late Tax Returns & Getting Mortgage or Credit
If I Ignore CRA’s Request to File Outstanding Returns – Tales of Two Taxpayers - submitted by Lilly Woo, CA, CFE, CFP It has been a strange summer for me. As the 2014 tax season came to an end on April 30, 2015, I was relieved as always and mentally plan for the lazy summer I wanted to enjoy. Then a strange thing happened. I received a phone call from a friend (“Paul”) whom I have lost touch with six years ago. He sounded stressed right away. As soon as we were through the initial ... Read More
The Big Tax Deductions vs The Deductions that Are More Fuss than Their Worth
Right now, Canadians are rushing to file their personal income tax returns on time. At Mew and Company, we are gearing up to process all of the documentation needed to file complete and accurate returns by April 30, 2015. Although we have been preparing personal tax returns for many years, it feels like every year, there are more documents to request and process than the previous year. A significant reason for this is perhaps that my clients’ lives have become more complicated from a tax ... Read More
Canadian Income Tax Penalties: Repeated Failure to Report Income
Penalties and interest charges are the most common tools the CRA uses to enforce compliance with the Canadian Income Tax Act. ‘Compliance’ refers to filing the tax and information returns in their entirety and on time. When a taxpayer (a person or a corporation) files late, there are late filing penalties on unpaid balances. There is another serious penalty in the Income Tax Act that is catching some taxpayers by surprise. This penalty arises when a taxpayer fails to report an income amount ... Read More
Canada’s Anti-Spam Law: Is Your Vancouver Small Business Ready?
This law comes into effect July 1 – less than three weeks away!
What is “Spam”?
Essentially, it’s unsolicited electronic mail and/or communications. That “junk” folder in your inbox, you know, the one you never open? It’s likely full of spam. At the core, “spam” is about electronic commerce regulation, which means that it should be important to virtually every small business in Canada. The latest Canadian Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) makes three significant changes to the way you ... Read MoreEnding a Business Marriage: A Tax Perspective
Maybe your business has been struggling since the 2008-2009 financial crisis, or better yet, maybe the business has become more profitable every year since due to better management practices and branding. Despite progress or track record, maybe your finding that the relationships between the two or more shareholders involved in your business are strained, and this could be for various reasons. For example, one shareholder may not be pulling their weight because of personal issues while another ... Read More
Important Tax Filing Dates 2014 For Vancouver Businesses
As all Canadians settle back into work after the holiday season, we're all looking forward to fulfilling the new intentions and resolutions we have set forth for the 2014 year. However, it is important to note that although 2013 calendar year has closed, along with it the financial results of your business, many tax planning opportunities for 2013 remain open. 2013 tax filing requirements still remain to be completed for business owners and their tax advisors.
Here are some important tax ... Read More
Canadian Small Business Owners and CPP – What is the Deal?
For business owners in British Columbia, the trend of remunerating shareholders with dividends instead of salaries and/or management bonuses has been going on for years. The low corporate tax rate of 13.5% on the first $500,000 of corporate profits in conjunction with total CPP premiums of $4,712 on the first $51,100 of salary paid to each shareholder/manager created a strong tax planning argument to take dividends instead of salary. Currently, with discussion in Ottawa to further expand the ... Read More
