Changes to RESP Rules Provide Planning Opportunities Arthur Drache, March 26, 2007 The changes to the rules relating to registered Educational Savings Plans announced in the federal budget modestly improve the plans for contributing parents and grandparents.but offer some new and very interesting strategies for the well heeled. Up to the time of the Budget, […]

The Giving Spirit Meets the Tax Advisor Adam Aptowitzer, December 04, 2006 This is the time of year where parents spend time with their children, co-workers revel in collegiality, retailers rejoice with their profits, and taxpayers look to generate tax deductions and credits. This year may be particularly beneficial for individuals in the latter category […]

Tories Opt for Targeted Tax Breaks Arthur Drache, March 19, 2007 Once again, as he did last year, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty has chosen to give targeted breaks to selected groups of Canadians over broad-based tax cutting But at least this year he didn’t raise tax rates as the Tories did in 2006. Once again, […]

RRIF Planning Needed for Some Taxpayers Arthur Drache, March 26, 2007 The decision by the government to allow RRSP contributions to age 71 is a welcome return to former rules which were jettisoned a decade or so ago in the name of fighting the deficit. This change also opens up some planning considerations. All taxpayers […]

Removing the Insult from Injury Adam Aptowitzer, February 01, 2007 I have recently started to field many questions about the donation of flow through shares to charity. It appears that since the budget announcements in May 2006, word has slowly been spreading about the effect of donating flow-through shares to a charitable organization or public […]

Charities – Be Careful What You Ask For! Adam Aptowitzer, March 19, 2007 After the 2006 Budget, many observers expected that the elimination of tax on the donation of publicly listed securities to “public” charities would be extended to private foundations, and, indeed, Budget 2007 lived up to this prediction. Unfortunately, with the wise extension […]

Budget 2008 – Measures for Charities Adam Aptowitzer, February 26, 2008 Given that the 2006 and 2007 Conservative budgets had major implications for charities in Canada it is perhaps not surprising that the 2008 budget was rather muted in this respect (as in many others). Nevertheless, the Conservative government did take the opportunity to clean […]

Tax Free Savings Plans: Resisting Temptation Arthur Drache, December 14, 2008 January 1 will bring into being the legislation which creates the Tax Free Savings Plan, the centrepiece of the 2008 federal budget. As all readers are likely well aware, this plan allows anybody 18 and over to contribute up to $5,000 a year into […]

Old Chestnut Becomes a Small Centrepiece Arthur Drache, February 26, 2008 Within minutes of the delivery of the federal Budget, Stephane Dion took the issue of an election off the table. This was a prudent move (to use the much overworked adjective that the Tories have been using for weeks) because the offering could not […]

Ghost of Disbursement Quotas Past Adam Aptowitzer, March 04, 2010 Part I – The Structure For the second time in six years the Federal government is changing the disbursement quota calculation for charities. Originally instituted in 1976 as a way to force charities to spend their funds on their charitable activities, the quota has turned […]