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CRA prescribed rate

Canada Revenue Agency prescribed rate remains unchanged for Q3 2023

  The Canada Revenue Agency has announced that the prescribed rate for the third quarter of 2023 will hold steady for the first time in a year. The prescribed rate hovered at 1 per cent throughout most of the COVID-19 pandemic, then increased by a percentage point each quarter beginning in the third quarter of 2022. […]

rResidential property risk from the Underused Housing Tax

April tax news: Residential property risk, bare trust dangers & taxable tips

RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY WARNING — HUGE PENALTIES!! Are you involved with a residential property that is not owned directly by a human being who is either a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada? For example: A cottage is held in a Trust, which the family patriarch set up before his death years ago, so […]

Ottawa announces prescribed rate loan increase

Canada Revenue Agency prescribed rate increases for Q2 2023

For the fourth consecutive quarter, the Canada Revenue Agency  prescribed rate has increased by a percentage point. The rate used to calculate taxable benefits for shareholders and employees from interest-free and low-interest loans is now 5 per cent—up from 4 per cent in the first quarter of the year—for the period ending June 30th, 2023. The […]

House subject to Underused Housing Tax

Underused Housing Tax Update: Filing deadline extended until Oct. 31, 2023

The confusion swirling around the implementation and scope of the federal government’s new Underused Housing Tax has resulted in a temporary reprieve from Ottawa, providing taxpayers with extra time to fully understand their compliance obligations under the new law. The Canada Revenue Agency announced this week that the while the deadline for affected owners to […]

philanthropic donations

March tax news: Tax-effective philanthropic donations and the benefits of life insurance

TAX-EFFECTIVE PHILANTHROPIC DONATIONS Reaching for your cheque book or credit card to make philanthropic donations is the least tax cost-effective strategy. We’ve identified more than 20 ways to be even more charitable − all of them more tax and cost-effective – encouraging you to look around at your loved ones and consider how you can build […]

House of Commons in Ottawa before the tabling of the 2023 federal budget

The 2023 federal budget: Increased deficits, new green incentives and higher taxes

The 2023 federal budget was widely projected to be one of balance and reaction: specifically, it would walk a tightrope aimed at keeping inflation under control and preparing for a potential economic downturn ahead. It would respond to the Biden Administration’s sweeping Inflation Reduction Act by offering competitive green innovation and business incentives, all to keep […]

Underused Housing Tax condo

Why you may need to file an Underused Housing Tax return

The federal government’s new Underused Housing Tax came into effect on January 1st, 2022. It introduced a 1 per cent annual tax on the ‘specified value’ of a vacant or ‘underused’ residential property owned in whole or in part by non-resident, non-Canadian citizens. Despite the legislation’s many exemptions, it is very broad and ensnares several […]

condominium under construction to assign residential purchase agreement

January Tax News: ‘Assigning’ residential purchase agreements, tax instalments–and more

“ASSIGNING” A RESIDENTIAL PURCHASE AGREEMENT Purchasers of new homes and condominiums sometimes sell their rights to the property before the closing. This happens frequently with new homes or condos that take years to be built. It may happen because of a change in circumstances, or simply because the buyer wants to profit from an increase […]