Accounting

Buying your first home has never been so intimidating or expensive. The market is at an all time high, many homes are entertaining multiple offers, selling well over their asking price, and now, interest rates are beginning to rise. If you’re looking to enter the market for the first time, you’re going to want to use every resource at your disposal, whether that’s government programs or professional guidance, or preferably both. Knowledge is power, so let’s discuss several incentives and programs available to help you reach your goals. 

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When contemplating the next steps for your corporate ownership and succession planning, maintaining fairness among family members is often a main priority even though all families members may not be involved in the business. One crucial aspect often overlooked is estate equalization, particularly in family-owned or closely-held businesses. Unequal distributions of wealth can lead to the business being forced to sell necessary business assets, jeopardizing the future viability of the core operations and business altogether. However, with strategic planning and the implementation of corporate life insurance, businesses can ensure equitable outcomes while safeguarding ongoing business sustainability. Understanding Estate Equalization Estate equalization refers to the process of balancing inheritances among heirs, particularly when certain assets, such as business interests, are illiquid or disproportionately valuable. In the context of corporate ownership, ensuring fair vs equitable distributions becomes more complex due to the interplay of family dynamics, business operations, sweat equity and financial considerations. Without proper planning, disparities in inheritances can cause families disputes and undermine the integrity of the business.

On April 16, 2024, the Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, the Honourable Chrystia Freeland, presented Budget 2024 – Fairness for Every Generation , to the House of Commons. No changes were made to personal or corporate tax rates. Some highlights include: A. Personal Measures Increase to the capital gains inclusion rate to 2/3, however individuals will retain the 1/2 inclusion rate on the first $250,000 of capital gains annually. Increase to the lifetime maximum capital gains exemption, and two new incentives on specific types of business sales. Modifications to the proposed amendments to focus the alternative minimum tax regime on high-income individuals. B. Business Measures Canada carbon rebate for small businesses that will begin by delivering payments to eligible CCPCs for five years of carbon tax. Accelerated capital cost allowance on purpose-built residential rental properties. Immediate expensing of certain productivity-enhancing assets, including computer hardware, acquired on or after April 16, 2024. C. International Measures Crypto-asset reporting framework that will require annual reporting by crypto-asset service providers on their clients’ activities using these assets.

On April 5, 2024, an unprecedented fine was levied towards a corporation and its director for violation of the Occupational Health and Safety Act . The corporation was fined $600,000 and the director was fined $80,000, plus a 25% victim surcharge. These are highest fines levied both towards a corporation, and to an individual for a single charge in Canadian history, and is further evidence that governing bodies are serious about enforcing legislation to protect workers and prevent further fatalities and injuries. What can we learn from this? 1. Chemical handling protocols are critical for reducing risk in the workplace. In this case, diesel fuel and gasoline were unintentionally mixed, causing an increased flammable hazard. Ultimately, this mistake resulted in catastrophic explosions and fires that caused the death of 6 people and serious injury of another. 2. Directors are being held increasingly accountable for the workers under their care; specifically, for oversight of middle management/supervisors and ensuring hazards are identified and controlled. While consistent with their legislated duties under the Act, historically directors have not been the target of large fines and charges. Instead, the penalties were previously levied toward front line supervisors and staff. This reflects the growing understanding that senior directors have the most accountability for the workplace and workers, and that they have a duty to know what is happening in their organization. 3. Senior leaders need to have open communication and trust with their workforce to ensure candid and frequent flow of information. Leaders won’t know what is happening, and therefore cannot take action to address risk if the workforce is fearful or apprehensive about reporting their concerns. Consider who in your workplace provides this information and to whom. If you are a leader, what questions should you be asking and what to you need to know? Do you believe that staff are open and honest, without fear of repercussions when delivering bad news? Is there a clear and accessible process for reporting, tracking, and resolving issues? 4. Workplace culture is built from the top. Leaders are responsible for establishing systems and structures that support a culture that prioritizes worker safety. Blame-centered culture reinforces our natural instinct of self preservation over disclosure; silence and secrecy over candor and open communication. Also, actions mean more than words. Leaders need to ensure actions and directives echo policy statements, and vice versa. So, what can you do? Ensure that you have an environment where staff feel comfortable reporting issues, where supervisors and managers appreciate staff input and take action to address these concerns. Having little or no reported concerns is a red flag and is a prime indicator that staff do not understand or feel comfortable reporting issues. Ensure that staff are trained about the specific tasks and hazards in your workplace, not just general safety measures, and equip supervisors and managers with the tools and knowledge they need to be successful and manage the workers under their care. To read more about the incident, the Ministry of Labour, Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development has published a court bulletin: https://news.ontario.ca/mlitsd/en For any assistance or answers about how you can bolster your health and safety systems and due diligence, contact our resident safety expert Jennifer Goertzen, CRSP .

As we near the end of Tax Season, please note our office hours below:  Hours until April 29th Monday – Friday 8:30am – 5:30pm Thursday evenings 6:30pm – 8:00pm (closed from 5:30pm- 6:30pm) Saturdays 9:00am – 12:00pm Hours on April 30th 8:30am – 5:00pm Hours May 1st – May 3rd Closed Hours beginning May 6th Monday – Thursday 8:30am – 5:00pm Friday 8:30am – 4:30pm

This article is based off our podcast episode “Paying Down Debt vs. Saving with a Wealth Advisor”. If you prefer to listen rather than read, you can find it here . It’s been about two years since Central Banks started increasing interest rates to combat inflation. For anyone with debt in their lives, the question has likely become “Do I put extra money towards paying down debt, or do I save it?”. There are three ways to use your money. The first is spending it on goods and services. Once it’s spent, it’s gone and is replaced with an item or a service. Many of those things you need to do just to survive – you need to keep food in your tummy and the lights on at home. The other two forms of spending are investing and paying down debt. Investing and paying down debt are both forms of spending that improve your net worth. If you’re investing, the value of your assets increases. If you’re paying down debt, your liabilities decrease. Either are a good choice when it comes to increasing your net worth, but one may be better than the other depending on your personal situation. How do you weigh the options of paying down debt versus investing? When you pay down debt, you’re reducing the amount of interest you’ll pay in the future. For example, if you have a $100,000 loan that has a 5% interest rate on it and you pay off that loan, you will have saved yourself $5,000 in interest expense. There is less certainty when you invest, unless you’re choosing a GIC or similar investment. If you’re putting funds into a balanced portfolio with stocks and bonds, you are hoping to earn investment income including interest, dividend payments, and eventually price appreciation. However, as with anything in the markets, the value of that initial investment can go up and down. Your rate of return simply cannot be guaranteed. In choosing to pay down debt, you are guaranteed a rate of return – unless you have a variable rate in place. Typically, though, you know what your interest cost will be annually. In choosing to invest, you are asking yourself whether you can do better than the guaranteed rate of return on your debt. Interest rates were historically low up until last year – your guaranteed rate of return on debt was maybe 2% - so it was less attractive to pay down debt. What about those who are still benefiting from a low fixed interest rate on their debt? Many people are still benefiting from historically low fixes rates today. If you got a new mortgage in 2020 or 2021, you could have a mortgage rate under 2%. In hearing that mortgage rates have climbed to 7% at the time of writing, some people are feeling panicked, thinking they need to pay down their mortgage. However, doing so right now may not be in your best interest financially. Alternatively, having a lump sum ready to pay down on your mortgage when it matures IS a good idea. If you have money from an inheritance for example and you’re not sure what to do with it, one strategy could be to put that money in a risk-free investment that could earn you 5% now, beating that 2% mortgage. As long as you ensure your risk-free investment matures at the same time or a bit before your mortgage term, you can then use that lump sum to pay down your debt. In this way, you’re able to take advantage of the higher interest rates now. 

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