In early 2022, CRA began to send out education letters in respect of individuals claiming the principal residence exemption (PRE) in the British Columbia region. Often, regional projects such as this are used as pilots for subsequent national projects. As CRA has indicated that they have a larger overall focus on real estate transactions, similar or extended versions of the project may be coming. The letters advised that the taxpayer or their representative review the…

Self-employed individuals whose net self-employment income was less than $5,000 will not be required to repay CERB, as long as their gross self-employment income was at least $5,000 (in 2019 or the previous 12 months preceding the application) and they met all other eligibility criteria. On May 12, 2021, a remission order that would allow this relief was released. For the debt to be remitted, individuals will need to file their 2019 and 2020 tax…

Photo by cottonbro from Pexels As some businesses struggle with cash flow, they may be motivated to prioritize suppliers and other creditors ahead of CRA. A recent court case demonstrates CRA’s power to collect tax arrears and the impact of CRA exercising this power on a business. In a June 11, 2021 Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta case, the taxpayer had fallen into arrears in respect of both GST/HST and payroll remittances. Payment arrangements were entered into…

CERS provides support to businesses by covering a portion of rent and property ownership costs of qualifying property. The government has recently extended access to this program until October 23, 2021. The CERS program has the following two components: The base CERS subsidizes eligible expenses based on the applicant’s revenue decline compared to pre-pandemic earnings; and, The lockdown support component, which provides an additional subsidy for eligible applicants subject to a lockdown under a public…