Update on Taxation Changes Affecting Private Corporations
Owners of private corporations should be concerned about proposed tax changes being explored by the Department of Finance. In the Federal Budget of March 2017, Finance expressed their concern that private corporations were being used by high income Canadians to obtain tax advantages that were not available to other Canadian tax payers. That concern led to the release of a consultation paper along with draft legislation last July. Finance asked for input from interested parties and stakeholders during a consultation period that ended in October 2017.
What happens now is anyone’s guess and most likely, we will probably have to wait until the Spring to find out. There were three specific tax planning strategies employed by private corporations that the department was most concerned with: Read more 
Why have a will when you have beneficiaries?
You give up some control when you just have beneficiaries and no will
Q: I am married. I have RRIF and LIRA and my spouse has RRSPs. We have joint cashable accounts too. We have appointed each other as beneficiaries for every account. I am told this arrangement takes longer to settle on death if there is no will. Why do I still need a will?
—Krish
Click to read the answer to this question on the MoneySense website.
Cardinal Update – February 2018
NAFTA – Concerns surrounding NAFTA have been top of mind as a sixth round of negotiations wrapped up in late January. There is a real risk of a U.S. announcement to pull out from NAFTA. This may well be a negotiating tactic; however, the Canadian market would react negatively. Over the longer term, the markets will adjust to whatever new trade rules take the place of NAFTA. But until then, the uncertainty could impact various companies including Magna and Gildan.
Click here to read more: Cardinal Update – February 2018
