Canadian tax news

Your source for the latest Canadian tax news and updates on changing tax laws. Working collaboratively with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) we aim to bring clarity on pressing tax questions and tax updates.

Please visit our archive page for content from 2020. There are no posts on this page older than 2020.

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On September 21, 2023 the Department of Finance Canada (Finance) introduced Bill C-56, the Affordable Housing and Groceries Act which removes the GST on new rental housing construction.

On August 4, 2023, Finance Canada released revised legislation on tax rules to consider when owners transfer their businesses to family members or employees. Our latest tax blog looks at out how these measures might apply to business succession in 2024 and later years.

As we have previously reported (see our July 21 news item), a significant issue we had raised with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) was whether limitation of liability clauses, commonly used in professional engagement letters, would trigger a reportable transaction reporting hallmark under the new Mandatory Disclosure Rules (MDR).  In the CRA’s most recent update of their MDR guidance, the agency indicates:

“A limitation of liability clause in a professional engagement letter would normally not, in and of itself, trigger a reportable transaction reporting hallmark, provided that the purpose of the limitation clause is to generally limit the accountant’s liability for negligence (i.e., it is related to professional indemnity insurance.”

It’s been a busy year in the tax world, with ever changing tax legislation and administration to keep on top of. We’ve rounded up some key tax developments that practitioners should have on their radar as we enter the fall.

CPA Canada recognizes that the Canada Revenue Agency’s (CRA) initial guidance, released on July 5th, did not address all our members questions regarding administration of the rules.

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has released guidance on the mandatory disclosure rules (MDR). With the Joint Committee on Taxation, we have been working with the CRA to bring issues forward that require clarification regarding the administration of the MDR. In this initial guidance provided, the CRA addressed some of our identified issues, including our request for timely guidance. We will continue to collaborate with the CRA to bring forward issues in need of clarification, including recommendations on streamlining the reporting process.

On March 28, 2023, the federal government released the final legislation on expanded tax reporting requirements aimed at detecting and preventing inappropriate tax plans. Read our latest tax blog to know more about the final proposals, improvements and concerns that are still outstanding. We will be communicating issues and questions in respect of the new rules to the Canada Revenue Agency. Updates will also be provided as new information becomes available, so watch this page for developments. 

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has recently published some best practices for businesses and tax preparers making a Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) tax credit claim. To ensure an efficient process for claimants, the CRA also shares common errors seen in SR&ED claims. See the CRA’s website for further information.

While the Canada Revenue Agency’s (CRA) announcement of an administrative extension for Underused Housing Tax (UHT) returns and payments for the 2022 calendar year was welcome, we know many members are still concerned about the impact of the UHT on Canadian owners.

Budget 2023 announced two sets of tax rules to consider when owners transfer their businesses to family members and employees. Read our latest blog to understand the implications of these measures on business succession in 2024 and later years. 

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has been reopening drop boxes across Canada after being shut down for several years due to the pandemic. The CRA indicates that the reopening will be phased in as drop boxes become ready for use. For further information, see CRA’s webpage.

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has recently updated the Underused Housing Tax Notice (UHTN15) Questions and Answers About the Underused Housing Tax with more Q&As. Many of these questions are ones we have passed along to the CRA. We understand the CRA will continue to update this page as more questions arise, and/or as further guidance can be provided.

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