The federal government has acted, in most cases, reasonably quickly to provide emergency funding to those in our economy who have been most disadvantaged by the COVID-19 pandemic. To its credit, the government also moved promptly to fill in the gaps in its original decisions that left some Canadians out in the cold. We now […] Read more
Tag Archives Money in Your Pocket
Emergency Business Account loan continues to evolve
The Canada Emergency Business Account loan is a rarity in government programs. It has quickly adapted to the continued and sometimes increasing stresses placed on Canada’s small business sector by the ongoing COVID pandemic. CEBA was originally launched on April 9, 2020, and by Dec. 1, 2020, almost 800,000 loans had been approved totalling $31 […] Read more
Selling a vacation property in the U.S. requires planning
Many retired and active farmers, along with other Canadians, escape to the southern states in winter to their homes away from home. However, at a certain point, the property might have to be sold for a variety of reasons, including an estate sale or health reasons. This year, there are a few other conditions leading […] Read more
Options for Canada Pension Plan and Old Age Security
Age 65 is one of those milestones most Canadians accept either happily or not but is softened somewhat by the eligibility to receive some of your tax money back in the shape of Canada Pension Plan and Old Age Security OAS benefits. Depending on how much of a betting person you are and how long […] Read more
Tax minimization is OK, but don’t step on a land mine
We’ve been advising you for months now to talk to your tax and financial advisers to figure out your tax liabilities before the end of the year to minimize tax obligations. Many of you might be vulnerable following a year with so many curveballs including COVID-19, the residual fallout affecting the economy, fluctuating markets and […] Read more
Financial planning necessary in these uncertain times
We wish we didn’t have to write about the impact of COVID on the economy any more. Nevertheless, it appears this is going to be with us for several more months of uncertainty. The situation will likely create many financial and taxation difficulties for the farming community, as well as all taxpayers. There is no […] Read more
Beware of CRA scams that have increased since COVID
COVID-19 as a virus has commanded our attention since early March but, in effect, we are discovering most governments, including Canada’s front-line medical watchdogs, saw the signals sooner. But there is another unexpected viral consequence of the pandemic and that is fraud and various scams targeting Canadians, most of them seniors. Canada Revenue Agency recently […] Read more
Strategies to help you plan your way around taxes
In our last few articles we’ve highlighted elevated government spending programs and the inevitable increase in the accumulated debt to alleviate the worst economic impacts brought on by the COVID pandemic. Both current and former senior civil servants, economists and at least one former prime minister are all predicting that while these spending programs have […] Read more
Who’s going to pay the piper after COVID-19 spending?
Former governor of the Bank of Canada David Dodge, writing on behalf of the C.D. Howe Institute while referring to the government’s financial response to COVID-19, said the right decisions were probably made at the time. However, the report also stated that the government must implement a plan to “restore fiscal maneuvering room” as soon […] Read more
COVID aid paperwork must be in order as audits loom
I have previously mentioned that Canada’s accumulated deficit with all the COVID-19 related emergency spending programs will now most likely top a trillion dollars for fiscal year 2020-21, up from $685.5 billion last year, according to government estimates. Many of those programs were, and if still available, continue to be extremely useful in providing a […] Read more
