Some four decades ago, parliamentarians voted to restrict pension funds’ ability to borrow money without losing their tax-exempt status, though their reasoning has been lost to time. “These rules have been around forever, but . . . their intended purpose [remains obscure],” said Matias Milet, a partner at Osler, Hoskin and Harcourt LLP, during a […]
The 17 pension-qualified members of parliament who stood down or were ousted during last week’s federal election will receive $1.4 million per year in payments, according to a new report by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. The think tank, which tracks government expenditure in Canada, says that, should the MPs each live to 90 years old, […]
For years, many employees had ad hoc, work-from-home arrangements with their employers. Then came the coronavirus pandemic, which kicked the shift to remote working into overdrive, forcing employers to spring into action to find ways to best use group benefits plans to support their employees through the change. As a result, employers came up with […]
The Canada Revenue Agency is introducing a simplified process to claim up to $400 in office expenses for Canadians working from home during the coronavirus pandemic. The process will allow employees to claim these expenses as deductions on their personal income tax return for the 2020 tax year. Eligible employees can claim a deduction if […]
The federal government has published revised draft legislation for the Income Tax Act that would facilitate the conversion of existing health and welfare trusts into employee life and health trusts by 2022. The latest draft legislation follows an initial proposal in the government’s 2018 budget and draft legislative proposals released in May 2019. It noted that the […]
In Monday’s fall economic statement, the federal government proposed changes to employee stock option rules and offered additional support for essential workers. The statement provided an overview of the government’s approach to combating the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, while offering details on additional measures moving forward. The changes to employee stock option tax rules include an annual […]
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business is asking the federal government to hold Canada Pension Plan premiums at current levels next year when they’re scheduled to rise, as employers and employees struggle with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. According to the organization, approximately one third of small businesses are currently losing money and higher payroll taxes […]
White-collar staff reaping the financial benefits of working from home should be taxed to help other workers who aren’t getting the same advantages, experts at Deutsche Bank said in a new report. In its report on how to rebuild the economy after the coronavirus pandemic, the bank proposed a five-per-cent daily tax on each employee that […]
In its 2020 budget on Thursday, the Ontario government said it plans to permanently extend the employer health tax payroll exemption from $490,000 to $1 million. The change is expected to save Ontario employers about $360 million in 2021/22 as they endure the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic. “When the COVID-19 outbreak struck Ontario, the […]
U.S. stock futures and markets around the world are mostly holding steady or ticking higher in early Wednesday trading, but only after spinning through an election night dominated by surprises and sharp swings. After rallying early this week amid hopes that Election Day’s arrival could clear the uncertainty that’s been weighing on markets, Treasury yields […]