Tax News

Knowledge still weak on TFSA

Here’s the deal, you can stash away up to $5,000 per year, invest in any of the most popular and accessible vehicles and your returns are tax free. Sounds good, right? But more than half of Canadians have not taken advantage of the TFSA, according to a survey commissioned by ING DIRECT. Even among those […]

By Steven Lamb |January 5, 2011

2 min read

Industry

Tackling tax-efficient investing

While tax-advantaged vehicles such as RRSPs and tax-free savings accounts are a sure bet for most investors, they are limited by the investor’s contribution room. Once that has been exhausted, investing in taxable accounts is the next step. However, at that point, the tax impact of making such a move must be investigated.

By André Fok Kam |January 1, 2011

7 min read

Tax News

Pension splitting discrimination

There are many parts of the Income Tax Act (ITA) where relevant distinctions are made as to income sources and taxpayer circumstances. Then there are the pension income splitting rules, which suffer from irrelevant source distinctions and in turn lead to discriminatory treatment of many taxpayers.

January 1, 2011

3 min read

Tax News

Taming the retirement tax bite

Tax efficiency is the key to managing portfolio volatility in retirement, Winnipeg-based financial advisor Douglas Nelson told the Distinguished Advisor Conference 2010 in Orlando, Fla.

By Vikram Barhat |January 1, 2011

2 min read

Home Buyers’ Plan troubles

The Home Buyers’ Plan (HBP) allows first-time home buyers to withdraw up to $25,000 from their RRSPs to assist them with the purchase of a home. The funds need to be paid back over a 15-year period. If payment is missed in a particular year, the amount not repaid must be included in the participant’s income for that year.

January 1, 2011

4 min read

Creating an RRSP exit strategy

As one of Canada’s best savings programs and biggest tax breaks, the Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) should be wildly popular. However, Canadians are not taking full advantage of them. Year after year, over 90% of taxpayers eligible to make RRSP contributions fail to make the maximum contribution, leaving unused contribution room on the table.

7 min read

Income trusts beyond 2011

Canada is in the midst of a bull market in yield securities. Retail and institutional investors alike are clamouring for securities generating and paying a steady cash flow. The demographics of this country provide strong evidence of why the demand for yield has seemingly accelerated in recent years.

9 min read

Clock is ticking on 2010 donations

The federal Minister of National Revenue is reminding Canadians that they have until December 31, 2010 to make a charitable donation that will generate a tax receipt for 2010. “Donating to registered charities is truly a win-win situation. Donors receive tax relief and charities continue to carry out work in the community,” said Keith Ashfield. […]

By Staff |December 29, 2010

1 min read

Countdown is on for charitable gifts

The countdown has begun. The CRA website is reminding taxpayers that ‘charitable donations must be made by December 31, 2010 in order to qualify for a tax credit in the 2010 tax year.’ For advisors this may be a good time to discuss charitable giving with their clients. “Every time there’s a tax situation, there’s […]

By Vikram Barhat |December 22, 2010

3 min read