Davidow & Nelson Blog

Carpooling: Motor Vehicle Allowances

Reasonable motor vehicle allowances received by employees in the course of employment duties are non-taxable. An allowance is not reasonable (and therefore taxable) if any of the following are met: – the allowance is not based solely on the number of kilometres driven for employment purposes; – the employee is reimbursed in whole or part… Read more »

2024 REMUNERATION

Higher personal income levels are taxed at higher personal rates, while lower levels are taxed at lower rates. Therefore, individuals may want to, where possible, adjust income out of high-income years and into low-income years. This is particularly useful if the taxpayer is expecting a large fluctuation in income due to, for example, an impending:… Read more »

YEAR-END TAX PLANNING

December 31, 2024 is fast approaching… see below for a list of tax planning considerations. Please contact us for further details or to discuss whether these may apply to your tax situation. NEW! As of June 25, 2024, 2/3s of capital gains in excess of $250,000 per year are proposed to be Capital gains of… Read more »

De Facto Director: Director Liability

Directors can be personally liable for payroll source deductions (CPP, EI, and income tax withholdings) and GST/HST unless they are duly diligent in preventing the corporation from failing to remit these amounts on a timely basis. Individuals can be personally liable as directors for up to two years after their resignation. A July 19, 2023… Read more »

Sale of Property – GST/HST Issues: Short-Term Rentals

Due to the proposal to deny deducting expenses related to non- compliant short-term rentals, some owners may consider selling their short-term rental property. While it is widely discussed that gains on the sale of a short-term rental property are generally taxable, the GST/HST implications of such a sale may be a surprise. A March 15,… Read more »

Denial of Expenses: Short-Term Rentals

In late 2023, the Federal government announced its intention to deny income tax deductions for expenses by non-compliant operators of short-term rental properties (such as Airbnb or VRBO properties rented for periods of less than 90 days). These rules would apply to individuals, corporations and trusts with non-compliant short-term rentals. These rules are proposed to… Read more »

Mandatory Electronic Filing: GST/HST Returns

For reporting periods that begin in 2024 and onwards, GST/HST registrants (except charities and selected financial institutions) must file all GST/HST returns with CRA electronically. Registrants who file their GST/HST returns on paper are subject to a penalty of $100 for the first offense and $250 for each subsequent return not filed electronically. While CRA… Read more »

Proposed Increase: Capital Gains Inclusion Rate

The 2024 Federal Budget proposed to increase the capital gains inclusion rate from 50% to 2/3 of the actual gain, effective for capital gains realized on or after June 25, 2024, for all taxpayers (including corporations and trusts other than individuals. Individuals would be able to continue to access the 50% rate on the first… Read more »

Tax Tidbits

Some quick points to consider… – Taxpayers can register for the CRA’s My Account and get immediate access rather than waiting for a security code by mail. – A portion of the federal carbon tax will be returned to Canadian-controlled private corporations (CCPCs) with fewer than 500 employees who file their 2023 tax return by… Read more »