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Lawyer discussing a family trust with his clients

February tax news: Benefits of a family trust and a last call for 2023 RRSPs

THE BENEFITS OF ESTABLISHING A FAMILY TRUST Estate planning is an important consideration for all individuals, irrespective of their level of wealth. Poor planning, or no planning, can result in an excessive proportion of your estate being lost when you die, in the form of either probate fees or taxes, or both. Luckily, there is […]

Canada Revenue Agency forms, Canadian currency, prescribed rate

Canada Revenue Agency prescribed rate holds steady for Q4 2023

The Canada Revenue Agency prescribed rate will remain unchanged at 5 per cent for the fourth quarter of 2023 (for the period from October 1st through December 31st). After increasing steadily in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the rate has remained static for several consecutive quarters. The prescribed rate is based on the three-month […]

Canada Revenue Agency bare trusts reporting

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. The […]

trust reporting rules delayed

Changes to federal trust reporting rules delayed again

In a recent blog, we detailed the government’s proposed new trust reporting rules that were due to come into effect in 2021, before being pushed back until later this year. Now, the implementation date of those new reporting requirements has been delayed yet again. To recap, in the 2018 federal budget, Ottawa outlined plans that […]

Canada Revenue Agency bare trusts reporting

CRA’s prescribed rate set to double on July 1, 2022

A key Canada Revenue Agency tax rate that impacts everything from the interest due on outstanding taxes to interest received on tax refunds, is about to double. The prescribed rate will increase to 2 per cent from the current 1 per cent, effective July 1st, 2022. The rate has remained at 1 per cent since […]

intergenerational business transfer

Bill C-208 improves tax treatment on intergenerational business transfers, but changes to come

Until recently, it was more financially beneficial to sell a business to a third party in Canada, rather than passing it along to children or grandchildren through an intergenerational business transfer. This had been a longstanding bone of contention among entrepreneurs. Bill C-208, An Act to amend the Income Tax Act (transfer of small business […]

Interest rates are rising. It’s time to shock-proof your balance sheet

It’s no surprise that debt-carrying entrepreneurs have been on edge of late. They’ve watched interest rates climb steadily over the past 18 months, pushing well past the historic lows that became normalized in the soft recovery that followed the Great Recession of 2008-09. Indeed, the Bank of Canada raised its benchmark rate several times over […]