DAVID WILKENFELD, CPA, CA, canadian tax CONSULTANT

Posts Tagged ‘CRA’

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Information for Disabled Persons

In Canadian Income Tax, Disability, Personal Tax on February 26, 2013 at 1:01 am

Disability

In a previous article we discussed the way in which an individual must establish proof of a disability in order to claim certain tax credits. In this article we touch on some of what is available for disabled persons under the Income Tax Act.

The rules in this area are very complex (OK, downright confusing!!) and we will hit the highlights here, but for a more detailed discussion with examples, the CRA offers an excellent guide in its publication RC4064-Medical and Disability Related Information.

Disability Tax Credit

The most common credit is the disability amount ($7,546 for 2012) available to all persons who qualify. An additional supplement of up to $4,402 may be available if you are under 18 years old at the end of the year. Any unused credit can be transferred to your spouse, or to another relative under certain circumstances if you lived with them and you were dependent on them for support.

The disability amount cannot be claimed, however, if you are claiming as a medical expense credit, either the cost of a full-time attendant or full-time care in a nursing home (see below). If you are in this situation, you must make a choice to determine which claim would be more beneficial to you.

Full-Time Attendant or Nursing Home

If you or your spouse pay the costs of a full-time attendant or full-time care in a nursing home, these costs may be claimed as medical expenses.

Other Attendant Care Expenses

There is a separate rule that allows you to claim up to $10,000 of attendant care expenses (full or part time) as a medical expense credit without hampering your ability to claim the disability amount (this claim could overlap with the full-time care credit described above). So if you want to claim the disability tax credit, this rule gives you the opportunity to claim some (if not all) your attendant care costs in combination with the disability tax credit. (Didn’t I warn you about the confusing thing?). Take care to ensure that the amounts paid to a group home are broken down on your annual receipt between eligible medical costs (such as salaries paid for food preparation, laundry, housekeeping and medical care services) and non-eligible costs (such as rent, food and operating costs of the home).

Don’t Forget the Registered Disability Savings Plan

If you or your child is disabled and under the age of 60, then you should consider starting a Registered Disability Savings Plan. The amounts you contribute can earn income tax-deferred (similar to an TFSA), and you may also be eligible for additional government grants that would supplement your contributions.

Family Caregiver Amount

Finally, for 2012 and future years, a new $2,000 “Family Caregiver Amount” is available as a supplement to certain amounts you may be eligible to claim for dependents. For example, if you claim a personal tax credit in respect of your dependent spouse or child, and that person is also disabled, then you may add $2,000 to that claim.

 

 

 

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Love Conquers CRA

In Canadian Income Tax, Personal Tax on February 14, 2013 at 1:38 am

LovewifeLast year, during my travels through Jordan, our tour guide, Ali, who was about to leave us after 2 days in the southern part of the country, mentioned to me that he had a long drive ahead of him. He was not going home. He was making the 3 hour drive back up north to Amman, as he had been doing every evening, to visit his wife in the hospital. Each morning, he would drive back to the south for 3 hours to resume his duties. I found this type of dedication to be remarkable and, with a shy smile, he replied simply, “I love my wife”.

Later, after drying the mist from my eyes, I asked myself whether the cost of such a commute, if made by a Canadian taxpayer, would be considered eligible for the medical expense tax credit. (This paragraph was added as a dramatic segue. Everything else in this post is true. :-) )

Eerily, the answer recently came across my desk in the form of the Tax Court case of Jordan v. R. (I kid you not!). Terri Jordan, a resident of Weyburn Saskatchewan was struck by an aneurysm at age 48 and suffered brain damage. She required treatment in a rehabilitation centre in Regina. Her husband Bill commuted 120 kilometres to visit his wife daily, over a period of 102 days during 2010. His auto and meal costs totaled more than $15,000 and he sought to claim these as medical expenses.

The law provides that travel costs qualify as medical expenses if they are reasonable outlays incurred in respect of the patient and, where the patient has been certified by a medical practitioner to be unable to travel without the aid of an attendant, in respect of one person who accompanied the patient, to obtain medical services in a place that is at least 80 kilometres from the locality where the patient dwells and equivalent services cannot be obtained in that locality.

In the Jordan case this provision was interpreted by the CRA as applicable only to the transportation of the patient, and they allowed only the cost of one round-trip.

Judge Woods, however, interpreted the rule as applying not simply to the cost of moving the patient, but to those additional travel and accommodation expenses incurred by an attendant during the period of rehabilitation.

The court noted further that Ms. Jordan was required to receive medical treatment in Regina for a protracted length of time and that Mr. Jordan’s daily presence contributed significantly to her recovery. The appeal was allowed.

Now go hug someone you love, and………..

happy-valentine-day-wallpaper

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To Charge Or Not To Charge

In Canadian Income Tax, Goods and Services Tax, Real Property on January 17, 2013 at 9:38 pm

Questions2

The Tax Issue

The place of supply rules that govern the rate at which the GST/HST should be charged contains a specific rule with regard to services performed that relate to real property situated in Canada.

The rule stipulates that the GST/HST rate that applies to services performed with respect to real property is determined by the location of the property.

This begs the question: what type of service is considered to be “in respect of” real property?

More specifically, this question comes from an accountant who performs the service of preparing tax returns on behalf of non-resident owners of real property situated in Canada. Every non-resident who earns rental income from real property in Canada must file a Canadian income tax return on which only income from the Canadian property is reported.

Are the services of an accountant to prepare tax returns on behalf of a non-resident subject to the GST/HST?

The Answer

Generally, services rendered to a non-resident person are considered to be zero-rate (not taxable) under the GST/HST. The rule relating to services in respect of real property is an exception.

The CRA describes a service as being in respect of real property in the following circumstances:

(a) the service is physically performed on the real property (e.g., construction and maintenance);

(b) the direct object of the service is the real property; that is, the service enhances the value of the real property, affects the nature of the real property, relates to preparing the real property for development or redevelopment or affects the management of the real property, or the environment within the limits of the real property (e.g., engineering, surveying, management services);

(c) the purpose of the service is: (i) the transfer or conveyance of the real property or the proposed transfer or conveyance of the real property(ii) related to a mortgage interest or other security interest in the real property; or(iii) the determination of the title to the real property.

The relationship between the service and the real property must be more direct than indirect in order for the service and the property to be considered “in respect of” each other. The direct object of the service is the real property in the sense that the service enhances the value of the property or affects the nature of the property.

Based on the above, the CRA has stated that accounting and tax services relating to the reporting of rental income from real property situated in Canada has an indirect relationship to the property, but is not directly in respect of the property as described above.

Therefore, the provision of these accounting services is zero-rated.

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Foreign Reporting Redux

In Canadian Income Tax on September 5, 2012 at 9:53 pm

In this issue of The Tax Issue, we go around the horn of foreign reporting requirements of the CRA. These forms were first introduced back in 1995 and have been filed on a rather inconsistent basis by taxpayers in the past. That is, until the CRA in 2006 decided to enforce the onerous penalty provisions in place for late filers.

If you are required to file any of these forms and haven’t been, I would suggest you get cracking. There is a chance the CRA will waive the penalties if you come forward through the voluntary disclosures program before they make a request.

Form T106 should be filed by anyone who carries on a business and has transactions with related non-resident persons. An example would be a corporation who regularly charges management fees to its foreign parent, or has borrowed money from a related foreign entity.

Luckily for most of us, there is an exemption from filing if the total amount of the transactions does not exceed $1,000,000. If you are required to file this form, it is due with your income tax return.

File form T1134-A for a taxpayer with a non-controlled foreign affiliate (a non-resident corporation in which the taxpayer’s equity is not less than 1% and the total equity percentage of the taxpayer and related persons is not less than 10%)

File form T1134-B for a taxpayer with a controlled foreign affiliate (a foreign affiliate that is controlled by not more than 4 Canadian residents with or without the taxpayer, or persons not at arm’s length with the taxpayer)

Because of the onerous amount of information requested on these forms, they are due within 15 months after the end of the fiscal year. Where applicable, they must be filed by corporations, individuals and trusts.

If you have ever transferred funds or made a loan to a foreign trust, you may have to file form T1141. If you have received a distribution or a loan from a foreign trust, you may be required to file form T1142. A foreign trust is a trust not resident in Canada and has at least one Canadian resident beneficiary or a beneficiary that is a controlled foreign affiliate of a Canadian resident. These forms are due on the filing due date for the Canadian filer.

Form T1135 is what many individuals see on their personal returns each year. It is required from any Canadian resident taxpayer (including corporations and trusts) who owns foreign investments with a cost of more than $100,000 at any time in the year.  The form applies to “specified foreign property” which includes money deposited outside Canada, shares of foreign corporations, foreign rental property, loans to non-residents, interests in non-resident corporations, trusts, and partnerships. Exclusions include property held in the course of carrying on an active business, and personal use property (such as a vacation property).

Returns are due on the filing due date of your income tax return.

Penalties for non-filers can be heavy. For simple non-compliance the fine is $25 per day (maximum $2,500), or $500 per month (maximum $12,000) for non-compliance due to gross negligence. If Revenue Canada requests the information and does not receive it, they will charge $1,000 per month (maximum $24,000). If forms remain unfiled for more than 24 months, an additional 5% fine will be added to the above.

If you do not have a drawer full of the above forms, you can download them (and any others, for that matter) from the CRA site on the world-wide web.

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What’s Your Tax Issue? Travel For Medical

In Canadian Income Tax, Personal Tax on April 22, 2012 at 2:28 pm

The Tax Issue

Last year, I was vacationing in Florida and experienced some shortness of breath. I went to the hospital and they suggested I return home to Canada on an emergency basis for further workup. My flight back home cost $1,198. Can I claim this as travel for medical attention?

The Answer

According to the law, transportation costs to receive medical attention are only allowed in very restricted circumstances. First of all, the travel must be from your home to wherever you seek attention, and only if substantially equivalent medical services were not available near your home. The distance traveled must be at least 40 kilometres from your home, and it must be reasonable to expect that you would travel to that place for attention.

If you had to travel at least 80 kilometres (one way) from your home to obtain medical services, you may be able to claim accommodation, meal, and parking expenses in addition to your transportation expenses as medical expenses.

In your case, since the travel was not from your home I would suggest that your plane fare would not qualify as a medical expense.

For more information, visit the CRA’s web page on this topic.

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What’s Your Tax Issue? Exam Fees

In Canadian Income Tax, Personal Tax on April 18, 2012 at 1:44 pm

The Tax Issue

I am a physician doing my residency at McGill Unversity. Last year, I paid $3725.00 to the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons in respect of exam fees required for my professional designation. I have a very official looking receipt but I’m being told that these fees may not be deductible. I’m getting different opinions everywhere. Do these fees qualify as tuition for tax purposes?

The Answer

Prior to 2011, the short answer was no. Only exam fees paid to a an educational institution were considered eligible for the tuition tax credit. As a small consolation, the CRA did suggest that if you are a self-employed professional, the exam fees might qualify as an eligible capital amount if they are paid in respect of your business or profession.

However, the 2011 federal budget contained amendments that will allow examination fees paid to a professional association, provincial ministry, or other institution for an examination required to obtain a professional status recognized by federal or provincial statute, or to be licensed or certified to to practice a trade or profession in Canada. These amendments apply to examinations taken in 2011 and subsequent taxation years.

 

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An Unexpected Penalty for Unsuspecting Taxpayers

In Canadian Income Tax on April 10, 2012 at 8:17 pm

My son Victor who is hard at word assisting me with tax returns this year, today learned of a little known penalty that hits many average Canadians who file their returns honestly and in a timely fashion every year. If you’d like to know what it is, just visit his blog.

Thanks for reminding everyone about this Vic. Now get back to work!!

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What’s Your Tax Issue? Quebec Business Income

In Canadian Income Tax, Personal Tax on April 2, 2012 at 8:21 pm

The Tax Issue

I live in Ontario. I have $130K  of self employment income earned in Ontario and $12K  of  self employment income earned in Quebec. Do I have to file a Quebec return? Will I have any balance of taxes owing given the amount I earned in Quebec?

The Answer

Every self-employed person resident in Canada may have to perform an allocation of income if their income is earned through a permanent establishment (“PE”) in a different province. If you don’t have a PE in another province through which you earn your business income, then no allocation is necessary.

A PE is defined as a “fixed place of business”, and includes an office, a branch, a mine, an oil well, a farm, a timberland, a factory, a workshop or a warehouse. You will also have a PE if:

(a) You have an employee or agent established in the province if he has the general authority to contract on your behalf or if he has a stock of merchandise from which he regularly fills orders; or

(b) You have made use of substantial machinery or equipment in the province at any time during the year.

If you have a PE in another province, you must make an allocation of your income among the provinces in which you do business. There is a specific formula you must use to make the allocation, which is done on form T2203. The allocation you make will affect your provincial tax payable.

And yes, if you have PE in Quebec, which has its own tax return, then you must file a Quebec tax return. Report the full amount of your income on the Quebec return. Then the provincial allocation is made and the Quebec tax payable is apportioned based on the allocation.

So, to answer your question, if you have a PE in Quebec, you will have a Quebec tax return to prepare and you will likely have some Quebec tax to pay, based on the formula.

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What’s Your tax Issue? Workspace At Home

In Canadian Income Tax, Personal Tax on March 6, 2012 at 10:57 pm

Well, it’s tax time again, and so from now until the end of April, The Tax Issue will be devoted to your tax issues. So send in your questions and subscribe to this blog to make sure you don’t miss the answer!

Today’s question is very interesting and it affects many people as more and more are working from home these days.

The Tax Issue

My late husband was a CA and he always said we should not claim some of our home office expenses as it would create some sort of problem when we later sold the house. He died a decade ago and I am the furthest thing from a CA that there is!

Last year, my job changed and I now work at home full-time. My employer issued a T2200 for me to claim office supplies and other expenses. If I claim part of my heat, power and desk chair, will that trigger any problems in two years to come when I sell my house?

The Answer

Don’t worry about selling your home, you’ll be fine!

The fact is, as an employee, you can claim only certain specific expenses as required by law, and those are subject to some very strict conditions. Your employer must require you to work at home. Thus, the requirement for the T2200 form.

In order to claim part of your home expenses, you must meet one of the following two conditions:

  • The work space is where you mainly (more than 50% of the time) do your work.
  • You use the work space only to earn your employment income. You also have to use it on a regular and continuous basis for meeting clients or customers.

You can deduct the part of your costs that relates to your work space, such as the cost of electricity, heating, maintenance, property taxes, and home insurance. However, you cannot deduct mortgage interest or capital cost allowance (depreciation).

To calculate the percentage of work-space-in-the-home expenses you can deduct, use a reasonable basis, such as the area of the work space divided by the total area.

If you need more information on deductions of home expenses or other employment expenses you can claim, you will find it at the CRA website.

Now, back to your late husband and his concerns. The rules on home office expenses are different for self-employed people. They can claim a portion of mortgage interest and depreciation (CCA) in the calculation of their self-employed earnings. However, if they choose to claim CCA, they will likely suffer in the end when the house is sold, since it will not completely be eligible for tax-free treatment as a principal residence. That’s what he was worried about and that’s why most self-employed people are advised not to claim CCA on their homes.

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The Corporate Beneficiary

In Canadian Income Tax, Estates and trusts on February 23, 2012 at 10:16 pm

The brain is a wonderful organ. It starts working the moment you get up  in the morning and does not stop until you get into the office.     –Robert Frost

Despite the limitations placed upon it by recent legislation and unfavourable court rulings, the family trust remains alive and thriving more than ever. More and more taxpayers are beginning to appreciate the tax saving possibilities of income-splitting.

The discretionary family trust generally provides for maximum flexibility with respect to income splitting. The trustee has the power to allocate income or capital of the trust to the beneficiary of his choice.

In a simple structure, a trust is created, with children and/or a spouse as beneficiaries. The trust owns shares of an operating company (“Opco”) which pays annual dividends to the trust. The dividends are then distributed to the beneficiaries and taxed at their graduating marginal rates.

One interesting spin on the family trust is to add a corporation to the list of trust beneficiaries. This option, although it involves more legal and accounting costs, provides even more flexibility and advantages to the common family trust.

In an income splitting situation, it may not be desirable to pay more dividends to the beneficiaries than they require. If Opco has high retained earnings, its directors may find such a limitation restraining.

Adding a holding company (“Holdco”) to the list of beneficiaries wipes out this limitation. Opco could pay a large dividend to the trust. The trustee would allocate a portion of the dividend to the individual beneficiaries, and the excess would be assigned to Holdco.

A dividend paid by one corporation to a connected company is non-taxable. However, since Holdco does not own any shares directly in Opco, care would have to be exercised to ensure that the two companies were technically connected for tax purposes. Generally, this could be accomplished if Opco and Holdco were controlled by persons who do not deal at arm’s length with each other.

Where Opco generates high levels of cash, the ability to pay dividends in this manner provides certain advantages. First, it allows protection from creditors in that cash may easily be moved out through dividends and away from potential claims.

Where individual beneficiaries have not claimed their capital gains exemption, this structure provides an easy means of having the company qualify as a small business corporation by paying excess “non business” cash out as a dividend.

Sometimes, the implementation of a family trust involves an estate freeze. In such a case, corporate attribution rules may apply to assign deemed dividends to the value of preferred shares issued to a parent as part of the freeze. One exception to this rule is to ensure Opco remains a small business corporation throughout the year. The ability to pay unlimited dividends to the trust on an ongoing basis would allow Opco to retain its small business corporation status so the exception. applies.

Finally, if the trust is wound up, it may be possible to distribute the Opco shares to Holdco free of tax, thereby eliminating the need to give up eventual ownership of the shares to children.

Of course, before implementing any such complex structure, care should be taken to ensure that all legal requirements are met, and that the tax advantages are worth the added costs