As expected, the 2015 federal budget had the general feel of an election budget, with a small surplus and a smattering of initiatives to satisfy various voting groups.
taxes
April 28, 2015
9:00AM
This year's federal budget wasn’t all that surprising. Many of the government’s big initiatives were already announced or telegraphed in the Conservatives’ 2011 platform. The remainder included a smattering of smaller initiatives to satisfy various interest groups in advance of the federal election.
April 27, 2015
6:00AM
Filed your taxes yet? You’ve got until Thursday at midnight. After that, according to the federal government, you’re officially in arrears.
April 23, 2015
6:00AM
Ontario’s 2015 budget, like those of years past, needed a concrete plan to get government finances on a sound footing. Yet again, the budget failed to deliver.
April 21, 2015
4:00PM
In many ways Tuesday’s federal budget wasn’t all that surprising. Many of the government’s key initiatives were already announced (the so-called “Family Tax Cut” package) or telegraphed as part of the Conservatives 2011 platform (raising the TFSA annual contribution ceiling to $10,000).
April 20, 2015
6:00AM
In a year when two heavyweight provinces, Ontario and Alberta, which together constitute 55 per cent of Canada’s GDP, are running substantial deficits, there are three ways to reduce the red ink.
April 20, 2015
3:00AM
A recent lead editorial in one of the world’s most prominent newspapers, the Wall Street Journal, pointed out the risks associated with the United States adopting a national sales tax, or value-added tax (VAT).
April 17, 2015
6:00AM
The current transit plebiscite, conducted by mail-in ballot across Metro Vancouver, asks whether residents are willing to support a 0.5 percentage point increase to the Provincial Sales Tax, which would generate an extra $250 million to help fund $7.5 billion worth of transportation projects tabled by the Mayors’ Council.
April 11, 2015
9:00AM
With tax season at hand, here’s a useful tip for any tax-weary Canadian. When some people refer to income or other money not taxed as a “loss” to government, remember that they may merely be using technical language. In contrast, others really do lament any reduction or “omission” in possible taxes that flow to governments.