associated corporation downtown building

January tax news: Rules for associated corporations, lending to adult children—and more

ASSOCIATED CORPORATIONS Under the Income Tax Act, there are various rules pertaining to relationships between taxpayers, including individuals, trusts, and corporations. For example, there are rules that apply to “related” persons, “non-arm’s length” persons, “affiliated” persons, and “associated” corporations. The rules are generally restrictive in nature, and the tax policy reasons for the rules are […]

yacht tax in Canada

December tax news: Luxury tax updates, calculating entertainment expenses—and more

PROPOSED LUXURY TAX ON EXPENSIVE CARS, BOATS AND PLANES The Liberal government is planning to introduce a new Luxury Tax, to take effect on January 1, 2022. It will apply to: new cars, SUVs and pick-up trucks costing over $100,000 boats costing over $250,000 certain aircraft costing over $100,000 The tax will be 20% of the […]

November tax news: How options are taxed, why the self-employed pay double CPP–and more

HOW OPTIONS ARE TAXED An option to purchase a property, as the term implies, provides the holder of the option an optional right to purchase the property. The option is referred to as a call option. The purchase price under the option is sometimes called the exercise price or strike price. Conversely, an option to […]

death tax

October tax news: Death, taxes and capital gains treatment for Canadian securities

DEATH AND TAXES You’ve heard the saying about this − there are two sure things in life. On top of that, when you die, there may be additional income tax payable owing to the “deemed disposition” rules and other rules that apply specifically upon death. Before we get to those issues, in the year of […]

Voter casting a ballot during Canada's federal election 2021

UPDATED: Tax changes are likely with the new minority government

The very brief federal election campaign that few Canadians wanted is now over. We know which party will form the next government and which ones will provide the support that the victorious Liberals need to govern. It was no surprise that neither the Liberals nor the Conservatives garnered enough seats to win a majority. Now […]

corporate shares

August tax news: ALDAs, tax-free transfers and TFSA penalties

TAX PLANNING AND ADVANCED LIFE-DEFERRED ANNUITIES (ALDAs) If you own a registered retirement savings plan (RRSP), you must wind it up by the end of the year in which you turn 71. At that point, you have the following options. First, you can take out all the funds in one lump sum. However, since the […]

July tax news: Non-arm’s length property transfers, superficial losses–and more

NON-ARM’S LENGTH PROPERTY TRANSFERS Overview There are special rules under the Income Tax Act (the “Act”) that apply to property transfers to a non-arm’s length person. The rules, discussed below, can override the actual proceeds or sales price received on the property transfers. For most purposes, “related” persons, as defined in the Act, are non-arm’s […]

Property purchase

June tax news: Buying property from a non-resident, HST rules–and more

BUYING PROPERTY FROM A NON-RESIDENT If you are buying real estate — such as a house or condominium, or a commercial property — from a non-resident of Canada, you need to know about your obligation to withhold tax unless the vendor provides you with a “section 116 certificate” from the Canada Revenue Agency. A non-residents […]

May tax news: Estate strategies, tuition tax credits–and more

ESTATES AND THE “PIPELINE” STRATEGY When a person dies, they are deemed to dispose of most of their capital properties at fair market value. This deemed disposition may trigger capital gains or losses, depending on the tax cost of the properties relative to their current fair market value. The person who acquires the property as […]

Canada Revenue Agency

March tax news: CRA red flags, a Netflix tax—and more

TEN COMMON TAX MISTAKES What are the most common areas where Canada Revenue Agency auditors find errors that they can assess? Here are some of the most common tax problems or mistakes that people make, and for which tax assessments or reassessments may be issued. Watch out for them! Meals and entertainment: If you are […]