Category: Accounting
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Is Our Tax System Too Complex?
Recently, the American congress passed a law known as the “Inflation Reduction Act” that among other things provides an additional $80 billion USD of funding for the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) over 10 years. Supporters claim this extra funding will help the IRS collect more tax revenue by providing the agency with more auditing and…
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What is a Bare Trust?
Bare trust arrangements can help some investors re-organize their affairs in a way that reduces probate and makes it easier to transfer assets in the future. This post describes what a bare trust is and how it might be used. What is a Bare Trust? A bare trust occurs when a trustee is vested with…
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Section 85 Rollovers
A section 85 rollover allows Canadian taxpayers to transfer appreciated property to a taxable corporation without triggering the associated capital gains tax. In other words, a section 85 election allows a taxpayer to defer all or part of the tax consequences that would normally arise on the transfer. This post describes section 85 rollovers and…
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Keeping your Holding Company in good standing
Managing a holding company (“holdco”) successfully includes keeping accurate records and performing administrative tasks. Missing some details might mean your holdco fails to comply with tax laws. But also, failure to administer your holdco properly could mean you waste time in the future cleaning up messes or wasting time searching for information. This post describes…
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Getting Capital out of your Holdco
Investors end up with capital inside holding companies for a variety of reasons including inheritance, tax & estate planning, and after the sale of an operating business. A holding company (“holdco”) is simply a corporation that earns passive income. Passive income is income earned from investments such as dividends from stocks, interest from loans &…
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Bumps and Pipelines
When someone dies owning private company shares, there is a risk of double or even triple taxation. A deceased individual’s estate owning private corporation’s shares may be taxed because of the deemed disposition at death of those shares (capital gains tax). There may be tax payable by the corporation when it sells assets to fund…
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Am I exposed to US estate taxes?
Canadians might be surprised to learn they may be exposed to US estate taxes. This post describes the risks to Canadian investors and how they might protect themselves. US Estate Taxes When Canadians die owning US situated assets worth more than $60,000 USD, they are required to file a US estate return. Then, if your…
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Disbursement Quota for Canadian Charities
Following political pressure for Canadian charities to spend more of their capital, the federal government announced in their 2022 budget that the Disbursement Quota (“DQ”) for registered charities will be raised to 5%. This post describes the latest changes to the disbursement quota and how they may affect your private foundation. What is the Disbursement…
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Foreign Currency Cost Base Reporting
Unsurprisingly, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) demands taxes be paid in Canadian dollars. This is simple enough when you earn income in Canada, since you were likely paid in Canadian dollars anyway. Your Canadian based investments are also likely quoted in Canadian dollars, which makes reporting your investment income based in Canada simple as well.…
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Duties of Estate Executors
Administering someone’s estate after they die can be a difficult and heavy responsibility. Before you begin that journey, consider the professionals who can help you fulfill your responsibilities such as lawyers, trust companies, accountants, and bankers. Also consider the legal obligations estate trustees must adhere to. If you’ve been charged with administering an estate or…