Tax Planning Flashcards
What are the types of Investment Income?
It is Passive Income, such as:
- interest income
- rental income
- capital gains
- dividends
What are three distinct types of dividends?
- Eligible Dividends - paid by CDN publicly traded companies like RBC, manuife - they are grossed up by 38% and then a tax credit is applied of 15.02%
EG. person gets a $20 dividend. On their tax return it is shown as $27.60 (20 x .38)… then they would receive a tax credit of $37.60 x .1502 = $4.15 - this is done to maintain some equilibrium between dividend and earned income - Ineligible Dividends - paid by privately owned companies, in this case they are grossed up 15% and credited 9%
Both styles of dividends tend to be more favorable overall than regular income.
- Foreign Dividends: no beneficial tax treatment $100 is $100.
What is the primary benefit of taking a dividend over salary?
Allows business owner to not have to pay CPP premiums and there can be some income splitting benefits. Dividends are the only way for shareholders to take income out of a corporation.
What is the calculation of ACB?
ACB = Purchase Price + Sales Charges + Acquisition Costs
De Minimus Rules means the ACB for Personal Use Property (PUP) such as car, furniture etc unless value is less than $1000… where the ACB is assumed to be $1000 that is the De M rules
What is Alternative Minimum Tax?
- used to target high income earners
- one common scenario is related to the lifetime capital gains exemption (LCGE)
- AMT calculation is ALWAYS based on lowest MTR, no matter how much the income is
If you are a PR of Canada and citizen of another where would you file Employment Income in Canada and Investment Income (from your home country) in home country?
You would file in Canada your employment and investment income from your home country
You would file in home country just your investment income from her home country
These items can roll over to a spouse TAX FREE
- RRIF
- Jointly owned principle residence
- Shares in a small business corporation (even with a ACB)
- GIC
Are foreign dividends grossed up?
No - they would be reported as their actual value on a tax return (READ WORDING!!!)
ACB
- think of as a tax base for a piece of property
- includes PP and any acquisition costs
Who are non-arm’s length people? Aka persons who are related to each other
Spouse or common law (except in divorce or sep)
Child - includes step child
Siblings - does not include nieces or nephews
Corp - if not at arms length with tax payer
Partnership - only if non arms lenght eg spouse
What is arms length?
transaction occurring between two or more unrelated and unaffiliated agreeing to do business, acting independently and in their self interest
When must self employed people file?
June 15
What range might you owe tax installments?
Greater than $3k
Tax Deduction (reduces your taxable income amount so you pay less on your marginal tax rate)
Any legitimate expense that can be deducted from your taxable income:
- Some medical
- Childcare
- Union Dues
- Attendant fees
- Investment counseling fees
- some employment related expenses
- Spousal support, alimony etc
Commission Employees tax deductions go further for what type of expenses? (In addition to regular employee paid tax deductions)
- advertising
- meals
- promotion
- home costs if work is in home
What is a “tax Credit”?
- dollar for dollar reduction in amount to be paid to CRA of your tax owing
What are non-refundable tax credits? Money back to you on the amount of tax dollars you owe to CRA can go down to zero.
THEY ARE APPLIED AGAINST MONEY OWED FOR TAXES…
Only can be used to reduce federal / provincial taxes payable to zero
EG: Age credit, disability credit, caregiver credit, pension credit, charitable credit
How to calc Taxable Capital Gain?
(Capital Gain - Exemption) x 50%
What will trigger a Deemed Disposition?
- Personal income becoming income property
- transfers to a personal trust
- transfer of principal residence to a spouse
- No longer a resident of Canada
- Death of a Taxpayer
What is the Home Accessibility Tax Credit?
The HATC is a non-refundable tax credit for eligible home renovation or alteration expenses that allow a qualifying individual to gain access to, or to be mobile or functional within the eligible dwelling
What is the Disability Tax Credit?
-is a non-refundable tax credit that helps people with impairments, or their supporting family member, reduce the amount of income tax they may have to pay
-If you have a severe and prolonged impairment,
Non-Refundable Tax Credits
What is a Tax Deduction?
- It comes from the TOP down
“Spend Money To Make Money”
What are some examples (there are not many…)
- RRSP contribution (being the biggest one)
- Business expenses
- Childcare expenses
- Interest on investment loans (non-reg and expected source of income)
Example: $100,000/income, 26% tax bracket, $10,000 deduction.
-10,000 x .26 = $2,600 + provincial MTR
What is a Tax Credit?
- Incentivize or Encourage a certain Behavior
Only at the lowest Tax Bracket (lowest Federal rate: 15% plus lowest rate for your Province)
Common Credits:
- Basic personal amount and indexed to inflation (prob roughly $15K)
4 exemptions to the lowest bracket amount:
-Charitable contributions
- Foreign investment tax
- Donations to political party
What is a Non- Refundable Tax Credit?
Reduces amount of tax you pay on your taxable income but you will NOT get money back, you use it to offset how much you pay.
If your tax credit is greater than your tax owing it is “lost” you do not get a “refund”… it’s “non-refundable”
Non-refundable tax credits are designed to reduce your federal tax payable but they don’t create a tax refund
- Childcare Credit
-Lifetime Learning
For example on your 2022 tax return, if the only credit you’re eligible for is a $500 Child and Dependent Care Credit, and the tax you owe is only $200—the $300 excess is nonrefundable. This means that the credit will eliminate the entire $200 of tax, but you don’t receive a tax refund for the remaining $300.
What is a Refundable Tax Credit?
You will get the money back as a “refund” even if lowers your tax owing to $0 - think GST Harmonized Tax Credit
What is CCA?
Capital Cost Allowance - method for allocating costs of using a physical asset over a long period of time (aka depreciation of an asset, say a building)
What is the capital cost?
initial cost of acquiring an asset (eg building)
How much of a CCA claim can be made?
Max 50%, if the asset is sold at a later date you may be able to recapture some CCA
UCC is?
Underappreciated Capital Costs - amount left after deducting CCA, the more CCA claimed the less value of the UCC of the property
Recapture of CCA example
Buy asset for $50K, UCC of 30K
eg 1: Sell asset for $20K
= 30 - 20 = 10K on terminal loss (no capital gain)
eg 2: sell asset for 40K
= 30 - 40 = 10+ UCC (RECAPTURE CCA 10K on tax return income and no capital gain)
eg: sell for 60K
= 60 - 50K = 10K cap gain
then 30k - 50K (lesser of proceeds or disposition) = 20K Recapture of CCA on business income
Capital Loss Rules
Carryforward: Back 3 years, forward forever
Superficial Loss: deny deduction if you sell and reacquire within 30 days