Property Flipping: Income or Capital?
House Flipping

Property Flipping: Income or Capital?

In an August 14, 2019 Tax Court of Canada case, at issue was whether the sales of four properties in B.C. were on account of income (fully taxable) or capital (half taxable), and whether they were eligible for the principal residence exemption (potentially tax-free) as claimed by the taxpayer, a real estate agent. Essentially, the Court was trying to determine if the properties were purchased with the intent to re-sell for a profit, or for…

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Workers Compensation: Replacement Payouts by Employer

Workers Compensation: Replacement Payouts by Employer

In a March 29, 2019 Tax Court of Canada case, the taxpayer had been injured on the job and was held eligible for workers’ compensation (WC) payments by the relevant provincial authority. However, in accordance with the collective agreement setting out his terms of employment, he was paid 100% of his salary by his employer and, therefore, did not receive payments from the provincial WC authority. He argued that the maximum provincial WC should be…

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Reimbursement For Work Clothing: Taxable

Reimbursement For Work Clothing: Taxable

In an April 17, 2019 Technical Interpretation, CRA was asked whether clothing reimbursements paid to maintenance employees were taxable benefits. Employees were not required to wear specific uniforms and were reimbursed based on receipts, to an annual maximum. CRA referred to Guide T4130 Taxable Benefits and Allowances, which states that clothing is generally a personal expense, except where either of the following applies: the employee is required to wear a distinctive uniform while carrying out…

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Special Work Site Allowance: Home Base Needed

Special Work Site Allowance: Home Base Needed

In a January 29, 2019 Technical Interpretation, CRA discussed the criteria for tax-exempt allowances for board and lodging received for periods an employee was working at a special work site. To be a special work site, the following criteria must be met: the work performed at the location must have been of a temporary nature;the employee must have maintained a self-contained domestic establishment (SCDE) elsewhere which was used as their principal place of residence;the SCDE…

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Commentary on the 2019 Federal Budget

Commentary on the 2019 Federal Budget

On March 19, 2019 the Honourable Bill Morneau, Minister of Finance, presented the 2019 Federal Budget, Investing in the Middle Class, to the House of Commons. No changes were made to personal or corporate tax rates, nor to the inclusion rate on taxable capital gains.

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Director’s Liability: Helping Out Family

Director’s Liability: Helping Out Family

Being a director of a corporation comes with many responsibilities. Failing to exercise due diligence in ensuring source deductions (such as EI, CPP, and income tax) are properly withheld from wages and remitted to CRA may result in a director’s personal liability for the corporation’s outstanding amount. A June 12, 2018 Tax Court of Canada case examined whether an individual who set up a corporation (along with a bank account) for his brother to operate…

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Directors: Can They Be Liable for Corporate Income Taxes?

Directors: Can They Be Liable for Corporate Income Taxes?

A December 11, 2017 Tax Court of Canada case examined whether a taxpayer was liable for unpaid income taxes of the corporation of which he was a director. CRA’s assessment was based on the assertion that the taxpayer was a legal representative of the corporation and had distributed assets of the corporation without having first obtained a clearance certificate from CRA. A clearance certificate essentially confirms that the corporation has paid all amounts of tax,…

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