Derek de Gannes

Total 133 Posts

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Derek A. de Gannes: Senior Director, Private Client Services of RSM Canada. RSM Canada is committed to the highest level of integrity, quality and professionalism and provides clients with solutions in the area of Audit, Tax and Transaction Services. Email: derek.degannes@rsmcanada.com

Transfer of corporate-owned life insurance

It is not uncommon to see corporate owned life insurance transferred to a shareholder particularly when the company is being sold. The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) was asked to comment on a set of facts and their response was no surprise given the relatively new rules in this area of the tax law. X owns 100% of Opco’s preferred shares that have a redemption value of $1 million, an adjusted….

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Canada Revenue Agency, Insurance, Tax Issues

Principal residence exemption and fire loss

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) was asked to comment on the availability of the principal residence exemption (PRE) when a previously occupied property is destroyed by fire and a decision is made to sell the property in a later year. The taxpayer purchased a house in 2010 which was ordinarily inhabited as a principal residence.  In 2016, the house was completely destroyed by a fire and the taxpayer decided to move….

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Canada Revenue Agency, Cottage, Executors, Property, Real Estate, Tax Issues, Uncategorized

Fair Tax Plan is Not Fair

When I was a child I would get together with kids in the neighborhood and we would play games like racing toy cars. Someone would call out the rules and the games would go for hours to the delight of our parents. On occasion one of the kids would do something that appeared to others as outside the rules which would be greeted with howls of protest “… not fair”…..

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Estate Planning, Executors, Succession Planning, Tax Issues, Uncategorized

Family trust and double tax

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) issued a technical interpretation on the tax treatment of trust income where there was a distribution from the trust to beneficiaries who weren’t entitled to the distribution in the first place. The trust was established for the benefit of children who were minors at the time of the trust distribution.  The trust agreement forbid the trustee(s) from making distributions to minor beneficiaries presumably to avoid the application….

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Canada Revenue Agency, Estate Planning, Executors, Tax Issues, Trustee

Voluntary disclosures – changes are coming!

Last week I met a couple who came in to see me for help with missed tax filings.  They were both aware of the potential for tax penalties and related interest on overdue tax and contemplated “leaving sleeping dogs lie”.  When asked how well they sleep at night, their response was “…not well”.  I said to them there may be an alternative solution. The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) Voluntary Disclosures….

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Canada Revenue Agency, Executors, Tax Issues

Old Age Security Clawback – Grossed-Up vs Actual Dividends

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) was reminded by a taxpayer individual about a perceived lack of fairness when required to include the dividends received at a grossed-up amount when calculating net income rather than only including the actual amount of dividends received. The taxpayer felt this was unfair because net income is used to calculate the reduction his or her old age security (OAS) pension. In their response the CRA….

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Canada Revenue Agency, Estate Planning, Tax Issues
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