Tax Issues

Total 358 Posts

Inconsistency in CRA policy for dividends paid to a deceased beneficiary

A recent article discussed taxation anomalies that occur due to timing differences between when a trust receives a dividend and subsequently pays and allocates a dividend to a beneficiary. CRA view 2016-0647621E5 provides that when a trust receives a dividend in the year and subsequently pays and allocates the dividend to a beneficiary in the same year, the allocation of the dividend for tax purposes occurs on December 31 of the year because….

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

What is a Reasonable Error

Further to my last post, the Canada Revenue Agency (“CRA”) does have the discretion to waive tax penalties on excess (or deemed to be excess) contributions to Tax Free Savings Accounts (“TFSA’s) and Registered Retirement Savings Plans (“RRSP”) if an excess contribution  to a TFSA or RRSP resulted from a reasonable error under the applicable sections of the Income Tax Act (“ITA”). With regard to TFSA’s, it would be for….

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Estate Planning, In the News, Investments, Property, Tax Issues, Uncategorized

Disability Tax Credit

The 2021 Federal Budget included proposals that would see an expansion of the Disability Tax Credit to more Canadians. The Disability Tax Credit (DTC), with a value of $1,299 for 2021, is a non-refundable credit intended to offset the impact of disability-related costs. In order to claim this credit, a taxpayer must have a certificate confirming they have a severe and prolonged impairment in physical or mental function, or be….

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Canada Revenue Agency, Capacity Law, Caregiving, Disability, Elder Care, Estate Administration, Estate Planning, Executors, Tax Issues

Bill C-208 the race to the finish line

Bill C-208 (Bill), “an Act to amend the Income Tax Act (transfer of small business or family farm or fishing corporation)” is a private member’s bill introduced by Conservative MP, Larry Maguire[1] on February 19, 2020.  The purpose of this Bill is to allow share capital restructurings and inter-generational transfers within a family unit, which are sometimes caught by two prominent anti-avoidance provisions in the Income Tax Act (ITA), Sections 55….

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Business Succession Planning, Tax Issues

Inheritance and Tax

There is renewed discussion on whether Canada will become another jurisdiction where specific gift or estate taxes will be imposed on inheritances. There is speculation that the discussion will lead to something concrete as early as next week’s Federal Budget. In the meantime, there are situations where inheritances can come with a tax burden, such as the one described in a recent Tax Court of Canada case (Goldman v. the….

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Attorney Compensation, Canada Revenue Agency, Compensation, Costs, Courts, Estate Administration, Estate Administration and Probate Applications, Estate Litigation, Executors, Investments, Liability, Tax Issues, Trustee, Trustee Compensation, Trusts, Uncategorized

Tax returns for deceased persons

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) will occasionally post requests to help improve the Agency’s processing efficiency. Recent posts caught my attention given their application to returns for deceased individuals. Date of Death The CRA noticed that tax preparers occasionally include a deceased person’s date of death on the living spouse’s tax return. This may result in the CRA mistakenly recording the living spouse as deceased. This error can cause major….

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Canada Revenue Agency, Executors, Tax Issues, Uncategorized
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