By: Kara Johnson Employers who don’t want to seem like Scrooge and instead partake in a gift-giving spirit, might want to be aware of potential payroll tax implications. The law clearly taxes benefits provided by an employer to an employee in the context of their work relationship. However, that relationship may also be fertile ground […]
It’s Giving Season: Tax Credits for Charitable Donations vs. Political Contributions
By: Alexandra Tzannidakis In the public mind, the idea of tax credits for giving to ‘good causes’ sometimes leads to confusion and conflation of charitable tax credits and political tax credits. The truth is that charities and political causes are legally very distinct concepts (there is no such thing as a political charity) and although […]
Santa Baby
By: C. Yvonne Chenier, Q.C. Santa Baby [1] Santa baby, send a CRA[2] Agent, to me I’ve been an awful good girl, Santa baby Governing my charity right Santa baby, a Charities Education Program[3], too, so cute Well I’ll wait up for you, dear, Santa baby So hurry down your list tonight, yeah Think […]
Donating As the Path of Least Resistance
By: Adam Aptowitzer In writing on the donation of capital assets such as publicly traded securities we often describe the adjusted cost base in static terms. Indeed, when discussing donations of assets where there is no tax on the disposition, such as publicly traded securities, certified cultural property or environmental property the cost base is […]
Community Economic Development
By: Arthur Drache For myriad reasons circumstances may arise where a community may be threatened by a loss of services and may have to turn to outside sources to help. A few decades ago, for example, the Province of Manitoba had a programme which helped provide dental services to small towns which had no accessible […]
New CRA Guidance: Charitable Status for Internal Divisions
By: Alexandra Tzannidakis Many larger charities are structured in such a way that there is a head organization with subordinate divisions operating below it. For example, a charity that operates across the country may do so by way of local ‘chapters’ overseen by a main organization, or a religious governing body may have several related […]
Social Investment changes in Charities Accounting Act
By: Alexandra Tzannidakis Among other things, Bill 154 (the proposed Cutting Unnecessary Red Tape Act) makes significant changes to the Charities Accounting Act (“CAA”). The changes give charities increased freedom and certainty in making “social investments” where the focus is mission-related results rather than financial benefit to the charity. A brief backgrounder is in order […]
Rules Around Raffles: Don’t Get Sent Up the River for Sending Rubber Duckies down the River
By: Kara Johnson Raffles (or, properly speaking, raffle lotteries) can be a fun, efficient, and relatively non-labour-intensive means of making moderate amounts of money for a not-for-profit or charity. Did you know, however, that the regulatory framework governing raffles (charitable gaming) ultimately flows from the Criminal Code? That’s right; if you don’t want to get […]
Foregoing Naming Rights and Anonymous Gifts
By: Arthur Drache An article in the Globe and Mail which appeared on line in June[1]highlighted a number of major gifts for which the donor did not ask for naming rights and indeed and personal recognition. For example, Judy Matthews and her husband, investment banker Wilmot Matthews, have previously made donations to develop public spaces […]
By-laws: Tips and Traps
By: Sylvie Lalonde Discussions about By-laws will rarely generate much enthusiasm or interest. That is, until a situation arises where they must be consulted and you realize that the By-laws contain gaps, inconsistencies and simply do not work. When there is a challenge to procedures relating to the conduct of meetings, the By-laws are […]