Claiming medical expenses can be painful for most taxpayers: there are so many receipts and tiny numbers involved. But it can be worthwhile, especially if you schedule your dental and medical treatments in a tax-savvy manner before year-end. Most people know, for example, that they can claim medical expenses for their nuclear family: mom, dad and their minor children. But did you know you can also claim for others who are dependent on you if they are resident in Canada? That […]

There is a very bright future for the tax preparer who makes a great decision to become the Tax Services Specialist of the future. But, to offer the best advice in that regard, tax specialists must have more than precise technical skills. To go beyond the filing of returns and move their offering to a specialized service model, advisors must be prepared to spend more time nurturing their relationships with a multi-stakeholder professional team; that is, with all the people […]

With Canada’s complex tax system, tax and financial advisors who exercise additional diligence to ensure immigrants and emigrants remain tax compliant can offer valuable advice. What tax deductions, credits and filing requirements should you make sure they don’t miss? Part-year Residency. Taxpayers who immigrate to (or emigrate from) Canada are required to file a Canadian tax return to report their world income during the period of the tax year in which they were resident in Canada. This means that immigrants […]

Our nation’s system is complex even to tax-educated Canadians. Imagine how mind-boggling this must be for newcomers (immigrants and refugees) and returning residents to Canada. There’s opportunity for advisors to work with this vast niche market and become a trusted educator and advocate for these families. Doing so will bring a significant multi-generational wealth management opportunity with this demographic, and the numbers support this. According to Statistics Canada, 20.6 percent of Canada’s total population is foreign born, which represents the […]

The Canada Caregiver Credit (CCC), new in 2017, is still poorly understood and a complicated tax break to explain. For these reasons, many Canadians have missed claiming it. Tax and financial advisors who really want to help families under medical stress can make a big financial difference will add it to their year-end review and adjust 2017 tax returns for missed claims. The CCC replaced the Family Caregiver Tax Credit, the Caregiver Tax Credit, and the Credit for Infirm Dependants. […]

CRA audit activities extended to those who claim Disability Tax Credits (DTCs), especially diabetics and children with autism, has continued to raise the ire of taxpayers. The $1.3 Billion in tax relief has been inconsistently applied and retroactively disallowed. But if you qualify, you could go back and recover that lucrative tax credit – all the way back to 2008. It’s one of three important tax credits the vast majority of families often miss out on. It’s why I have […]

The vast majority of Canadians caring for sick and disabled family members are missing out on lucrative tax assistance and paying for expensive care costs out of pocket, according to a CIBC poll. Worse, only 12 percent of caregivers are accessing available tax deductions, credits, and benefits on their tax returns. his creates an opportunity for tax-savvy financial consultants to provide valuable advice. In this three-part series, three of the most important credits to for advisors and clients to discuss […]

Inflation has hit its highest point since February 2012’s 2.6%. It now sits at a lofty 2.5%, and is expected to hold steady until the second half of 2019. Poorly understood, inflation, together with high taxes and rising interest rates, is a great wealth eroder. This trend brings with it an opportunity for you to add value in discussions with clients. Up from 2.2% in May, the 2.5 percent inflation rate applies based on economic trends throughout the month of June. This […]

If the date July 18, 2018 rings a bell it should: it marked the one-year anniversary of Morneau’s controversial small business tax proposals. This year, mid-summer tax complexity is again in the news, as Finance Canada released two important new tax documents for Canadians on July 27: the Draft Sales and Excise Tax Legislative and Regulatory Proposals and the Draft Income Tax. The Draft Sales and Excise Tax Legislative and Regulatory Proposals impact the GST/HST holding corporation rules, the excise […]

Summertime is family time; but it is also the time of year when people prepare for big life changes taking place in the fall. Young adults make plans to work abroad, travel or go to school and empty-nesters journey to warmer climates. However, non-residency comes with tax consequences, so a visit to a tax advisor should be part of your travel preparation. In fact, it can pay handsomely to find a cross-border tax expert who can help you determine with […]