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Small Business Taxes in Canada – Personal and Corporate Taxes

Small Business Taxes in Canada

As a small business owner, we can often think that the odds are stacked against us when it comes to capital and finances. But it is important for small business owners to be informed that the Canadian tax system is set up to your advantage. You can build wealth within your company and for retirement.  As hard as it might be to believe, there are methods to create wealth right within the tax system that are encouraged by the government.

Firstly, it is important to understand that the Canadian tax system is broken up into two parts: personal and corporate tax. 

Personal Tax vs. Corporate Tax

Personal tax rates can be quite high. You may pay high personal tax rates and, in a way, this makes sense. The government wants you to pay its money before you go and spend it somewhere else. This is what GST (Goods and Service Tax) and HST (Harmonized Sales Tax) are all about. This tax (consumption tax) is a way of trying to prevent you from overspending.

On the other hand, we have corporate tax, small business tax rates are between 9% and 15% based on which province you live in. Although it might seem arbitrary, the corporate tax rate is much lower than the personal tax rate since the government wants you to contribute towards the economy.

Income Retention in Corporation

We all love paying the lowest amount possible in taxes which is why some entrepreneurs may potentially keep as much income earned and build a nest egg in your corporation. But, due to recent tax changes by the government, they have discouraged this and are trying to stop this from happening. The government still wants you to save capital for the future but just not this way, instead here are the recommended methods of doing so.

Method 1 – RRSPS

Instead, the government wants you to payout your salary, and use RRSPs. This method can be used for saving for the future, the government wants you to do so using that salary that you earn. You simply create a RRSP contribution room and retirement fund, and it grows quite quickly as taxes aren’t paid now but down the road in the future. Overall, you have a greater amount of money to start with which further grows and helps a lot as retirement reaches.

Method 2 – Lifetime Capital Gains Exemption

This method is quite valuable and can change the way you think about your business in a positive manner. This big tax incentive by the government is policy-based, basically what the government wants is for you to create a treasured business that you could potentially sell in the future and obtain tax-free money. The strategy to carry this out is through the lifetime capital gains exemption. This policy is a method and not a loophole, additionally it’s not going away any time soon. It’s very policy-based, simply put the government wants you to create a company that’s not going to croak when you die or retire. In return for this, the government is offering $900,000 of tax-free money for selling the shares of your small business corporation that qualifies.

This is such a treasured tool for retirement and creating wealth, yet it is often overlooked. The primary reason it is overlooked is that it is a lot of work to achieve this. Many things need to be resolved within the business to ensure that it is sellable. It can be quite complicated but with the help of professionals at H&T Accounting Services, you can achieve this.

Collectively, there are many ways you can set yourself up for success as a small business owner with the help of the government policies and rules. Understanding how the tax system works is crucial to avail these opportunities and retire with as much capital as you possibly can. It is important to understand that having an accountant or financial advisor that understands your goals can only help you achieve this. Book an appointment with us today to take your small business to the next level whilst setting yourself up for success.

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How to Reduce Tax Burden in Canada

Tax payers started to have headache as and when the season of tax-paying comes. These tax payers try their every bit possible so they have to pay as little tax as possible. It is, however, impossible to completely eliminate this burden, but, there are ways through which we can reduce this burden.

The taxes paid by us contribute towards the development of the country and therefore we should make sure that we pay our taxes in time. It is also important that in our effort to reduce our tax burden we should not make use of illegal means. Never encourage accountants in Mississauga to resort to illegal means in preparing accounts.

Make Use of Legitimate Means to Prepare Accounting Books

The legitimate way to reduce the tax burden is by maintaining your books in proper order. When your accounting books are maintained properly you are aware as to what is the present financial status of our company and how can we reduce the burden. Consult accountants in Oakville to maintain your books in proper order.

In case accounting books are not maintained properly you will have little idea on what measures need to be taken to reduce tax burden. A sure shot means to maintain books in good order is by hiring accountants..

There are accountants who will help you out in maintaining your accounting books in good order, but they will also tell you ways on how you can reduce your tax burden. There are various deduction schemes available from government / firms that can help you reduce your tax burden.

Lets us take a look at some of these programs:

The Child Tax Credit (CTC) – you can claim a tax credit for each of your child of $2,000. This non-refundable tax-credit is given to only those children who are below eighteen years of age.

The Children Fitness Credit – A credit to the tune of five hundred dollars is given when a child who is below 16 year old is registered. This credit is given when a child joins a program at any time of the year.

The Canada Child Tax Benefit (CCTB) – This monthly payment is tax free and it is designed to help familiar in raising their kids. This benefit is given till a child reaches the age of 18 and the annual benefit that is given is around twelve hundred dollars.

There are numerous other programs that you can make use of to reduce the tax burden on you. There are certain rules about which you might not be aware of as a normal person, and it is for this reason you need to hire the services of accountants in Oakville.

Preparing for tax can be quite cumbersome for any person and for a business person there are numerous other important things to take care of. When you hand over the task of maintaining accounting books to an accountant in Mississauga than you will have the peace of mind that you might have been looking for.

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How Accountants Help For Tax Planning And Tax Return Preparation

The tax professionals know several methods of tax preparation.  The complexity of the tax return is sometimes very difficult to be understood. The services of the H&T accountants Oakville have several advantages. These are professionals in the field. The first thing is that they are graduates and comprise knowledge in that field. Therefore they are the right knowledgeable professional who can conveniently handle the taxes of the company. The overall tax of the company can be easily ascertained and decisions can be taken whether there is a need to reduce the taxes in future or measures can be determined for the same. The accountants help you to prepare your taxes on your own and you do not have to separately hire any authorities to do so. Therefore with the help of accountants Oakville who are quite knowledgeable with the subject of accounts and know the placement of each transaction under proper head you can determine your position and have a complete control over your tax return. Therefore the entire financial impact and the tax situation can be easily analysed.

  1. The financial accountant is a person who can do all the financial planning to achieve your goals
  2. He can help you with your efforts in minimizing the tax cost
  3. You can get the tax cost calculation for all the assets
  4. Your accountant provides you with the liability figures which would reduce your cost

The H&T Accountants in Brampton can help you to prepare tax return quickly and as they know the basic rules handy they would help you with the Tax Returns Mississauga in a tremendous manner. Sometimes there are some complex situations which you would find difficult to face, such situations can be easily handled by the accountants. They can help you with the investment channels in which you get good tax exemptions. With their services your Tax Return preparation can be done well in advance. You can maintain complete records of accounts in an up to date manner. Therefore you can get your taxes done quickly. They are handy with the rules and the tax changes and would be able to provide you with the same. They are best guidance to easily understand and incorporate complex procedures in taxing.

The H&T Accountants in Mississauga and Oakville are professionals and qualified persons who provide you with the best method of tax planning and tax preparation. They consider every aspect and attributes which significantly brings a difference to the tax planning. These accountants would provide you with the wonderful options to reduce cost and accomplish your goals too.  They can help you with saving some money on taxes. Besides they also provide filing the returns apart from planning. The tax saving strategies that they provide is quite wonderful and therefore with their services you can finally determine the actual tax that you would pay after all the due deductions. Ultimately, their services are very useful as you can accomplish your business goals and reduce the tax using the strategies that they provide.

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Canada Child Tax Benefit

Canada Child Tax benefit is a tax which is imparted to the families living in the Canada by the Canadian Government. It is basically a tax free monthly payment given by the Government to all those families or parents who needs money to raise their children up to the age of 18 years.  It is majority divided into two main components one focuses on the low and middle class Canadian families and the other one provides definite assistance and help to the low income families having a necessity of acquiring this help from the Government in the form of tax benefit.

Eligibility Criteria to avail this tax benefit

Canada Child tax befit cannot be provided to everyone. It is given to only those Canadian families which meet the proper eligibility criteria as stated by the Canadian Government in order to avail the tax benefit.

  • A person must be the Canadian resident.
  • Must be the primary caregivers of the child under 18 years of age.
  • If a person is not Canadian resident then one can avail the tax benefit if a spouse or partner is:
    1. Canadian resident.
    2. Protected person
    3. Permanent resident.
    4. A temporary resident who is residing in the county of Canada from the last 18 months.

These are some of the criteria which need to be fulfilled by the person in order to ensure the benefit of the Canada Child Tax.

Application Information

After the eligibility criterion has been met by the Canadian family, another important criterion is to fill the application form to apply for this benefit either through mail or by applying online. One can fill the relevant and necessary information in the application form as provided by the Government under the proper guidelines in order to have a benefit of the Child Tax.

Financial Information

The amount paid under the Canada Child Tax benefit plan majorly depends upon two things which is income tax and benefit returns. The amount paid under this tax can be even adjusted in case the size of the family increases during the end of the year and some other issues.

Dates and Deadlines

The Canada Child Tax benefit is issued for the Canadian family very 20th day of the month and even one week earlier in December. For more specific dates one can visit to the official website and can keep a track of their status of issuing the tax benefit plan. It is always advisable to the individuals belonging to the Canadian family who has applied for the Canada Child Tax benefit plan to contact to Canadian revenue agency in case one do not receive his CCTB within five business days after the issuance of the tax befit plan.

Therefore, this is a brief overview on the Canada Child Tax benefit (CCTB) for the Canadian residents and families provided by the Canadian Government. One can take the required information from the official website to apply for the Canada child tax benefit plan.

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Tax Planning Tips for Self Employed Individuals

Tax Planning Tips for Self Employed Individuals

Self employment is a very interesting field as you are the boss of your own empire. Self employed persons indeed have a more advantage on Tax Savings as they have much more tax efficient income as that of the persons on the salary income basis. So it is very important for them to manage the tax efficiently to avail the full benefit of it.  If you are a self employed person and falls in any category fall under head of income.

Here are some of the Tax Planning Tips that will enhance your tax efficiently:

Taking Advantage of all business expenses:

All the expenses related with the business or works are called as business expenses. There are varieties of expenses in the businesses even for the self employed individuals such as house rent, electricity bills, travel costs, internet and telephone costs, and other utilities consuming during the self employed business can be even treated as business expenses. Vouchers and bills can be even considered as the business expenses. To manage all these business expenses in a proper and regulated manner bookkeeper is very much essential.  With the aid of proper Tax Planning one can claim the deprecation of all the business or work related expenses and can avail the full income from the Government.

Distribution of Income:

This task is possible in case if you involve your family member in the business. By involving them part of your income is shifted through that side too and will help you to achieve your goal as it helps to reduce taxable business income prevailing in the business.

Availing Deductions:

Normal deductions are allowed for the self employed persons such as PPF (public provident fund), insurance, pension planning, fixed deposits as well as other money saving schemes.  Tuition fees of your child can also be claimed from the Government through an effective tax panning scheme from the self employed individuals. One can even avail the claim deduction in regard with medical premium of the parents as well as his/ her family as a whole. If the person is living in the rented home then one can claim the rent of the house even as deduction. These also deductions depends upon the different situations and will be provided by the Government at different interest rates.

Hedge your Risk and Save Taxes:

It is important to have a life insurance scheme for every person in the family in order to have full and proper protection in case of any mishappening and incident. Avail the policies which will help you to protect your family from accident or incidents and even from the medical emergency as well as these liabilities help you to repay the loans in a lowest turnaround time possible very efficiently.

These are therefore some of the most important tips for the tax planning for the self employed individuals running their own business organizations.

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Two Effective Tax Saving Tips and Plans

Congratulations! For adding another achievement to your business, you are able to take it to the level you want. Over the years you may not have made any drastic changes in the way you do business, but you have to keep track of the changes made by the tax department. Here are some Tax Saving Tips and plans that can be beneficial for you. To withdraw full benefit from corporate structure you need to understand the following parameters:

  • You should keep a record of all the transactions and make sure to keep track of supporting documents. One of the good accounting practices is to keep a record of all the transactions. This will enable you to keep track of your expenses, revenues, and net income.
  • If you are already occupied and don’t have time to do all the calculations, make sure to keep record of – receipts, invoices, deposit slips, agreements, bank statements, letters from WSIB, CRA and other.

You should also have all the documents pertaining to the foundation of your company, minute book, and articles of incorporation. You need to have some evidence in order to support you case in front of CRA, therefore you need to have some documents at your disposal. You need to prepare before hand in order to take care of this, the best way is to store all the related documents of your business activity.

Some tax saving tips and plans for families are as follows.

  • Everyone is looking for ways to reduce tax, as it is a considerable burden on many families. Families can include their child care expenses in order to save tax. There are two ways to do this. Flexible spending account is the first option. You can reduce taxable income through your employer sponsored accounts. It contributes to expenses towards your child care on the basis of pre-tax.
  • The second option is to claim the expenses on your child care and use it to deduct taxes at the end of the year. Many parents are not aware of the fact that the money spends on summer day camps for their kids can be used to save tax.
  • If the main reason for your child attending summer day camp is that you are going to school or work, than the money spend on these camps can be used to save taxes. Camps are entertaining and fun, and this fact does not eliminate them from tax deductibles.

Tax saving tips and plans through health care are another option to save tax. Flexible spending account for health care expenses can be used to deduct tax in a given year. It is important that you keep track of all your health care expenditure; this also includes the medications you purchased in a given year. You can get a reimbursement for your medical expenditure, if you have a flexible spending account.

These are couple of tax saving tips and plans that can help you immensely in saving money.

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Enjoy Financial Success with Effective Tax Planning

Tax Planning is indeed a very important key area for the development of strong business foundation. To lay down the strong foundation of any business it is very much essential to plan for the tax effectively which can result in the gains and growth of business in a very short span of time. It is therefore one of the essential aspect for the business to develop financially.

Planning for each business should be done in a proper and regulated manner irrespective of the size of the business. It is mandatory for every business to be a tax payer and implements the proper strategy of the Tax Planning. It can be quite complex and tedious if the tax is not planned and managed effectively as the whole foundation of the business depends upon these financial aspects.

It is therefore advised to the business owners not to depend on any inadequate advice on Tax Planning as it can result into something disastrous. Adequate and proper knowledge of the tax is very much essential before planning it for the business and applying it in order to achieve optimum results for the business.
It is often advised and suggested to the business owners to seek the advice about Tax Planning from expert having adequate and sound knowledge of the subject and latest advancements in the tax planning as well which can further help you to reap the benefits of the sophisticated tax planning which results in high profit margins.

Financial and Tax Planning Services will provide necessary and definite help for every business to grow successfully in a regulated manner as these services are quite essential in order to calculate the taxes accurately and will even provide you the streamlined approach of planning your tax as well as finances in a best possible way for your business.

It is important for every business owner to keep an eye on the latest changes and updating that is happening in the taxation laws which ensures better and effective tax planning and even ensures tax savings. This complex task can be made easier only if you seek the proper advice of the tax consultant having wide experience in planning tax and have a proper approach of even implementing it. Business owners to carry this tedious task in a disciplined and regulated manner hire professional services which ensure proper tax planning as well as tax returns. It is their responsibility to fill the form for the tax returns in a particular span of time.

These expertise professionals will prepare the required documents of filling the right form of taxes in a correct manner and further apply their analytic skills and approach to implement the same in the area of tax planning and tax savings. Financial services is another major aspect which plays a key role in bringing success and growth to the business and will even aid the business to be aware of the latest advancements happening in the taxation industry in a lowest turnaround time.

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Planning to save tax? Contact HandT Accountants and Tax Experts

Planning to save tax is one of the most essential and key area where everyone focuses in order to achieve optimum results.  It is not advisable to wait for the planning of the tax at the end of the financial year rather than planning it on an early basis will help you achieve positive results.

It is very much important to plan the tax earlier as planning them early will lead to optimistic results and saving your time and money as well in a lowest turnaround time. One just has to make sure that he does the planning efficiently and in a regulated manner by making access of all the information available. By using the practical approach of the famous tax planners, tax saving can be achieved majorly by following two ways i.e. spending and investing. According to the income tax act, there are large numbers of provisions which basically provides the benefit of deduction based on the payment you incur as well as the investment one done in order to save huge amount of tax.

Eventually some of the persons who believe in tax planning at an earlier basis believe that benefit of the deduction is not a suitable approach for tax savings and even does not result in the tax benefits to a much greater extent. But it is suggested and recommended by the professionals in the field of tax planning to take this approach in a different manner and avail the benefits of tax planning efficiently and effectively.

However, there are certain expenses such as medical insurance premium; cost of treatment for any specific disease, donation to any charitable trust or any other institutions allows the tax players to claim a deduction on these expenses and hence can avail the benefit of income on the Tax Saving. However, with the ease of modern approach, there are several other modes too which can offer you huge benefits on tax saving.

There are large numbers of investment options which are available under the income tax act under section 80c which provides you to access the large tax saving benefits such as provident fund, post office saving schemes, investment in mutual funds etc. Investing your money in such schemes will provide you impeccable benefits of tax as they are the most financially regulated schemes available till date.

One can even avail the tax benefit by investing some portion of your income on house property which will lead you to avail the benefit even on the housing loan. Such schemes offers dual benefits when referring in context with tax saving.

Therefore, there are huge options and large financial schemes available in the financial market in today’s scenario therefore, one can choose the desired option of investment according to his financial condition and can plan for the tax saving approach accordingly. Tax planning is therefore a critical section in today’s scenario and should be the major focus for everyone.

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Work out easy to save Tax – Investment and Taxes

Just like we have to breathe, eat and need shelter to live, we also need to pay our taxes to find a place in this world and to be a responsible citizen. But the fact is taxes rarely create any excitement, and constantly changing, lightening and tightening of rules makes them as complex as they have always been. If you are searching for tips to save tax in Canada, the following article will help you.

Save to Purchase and Borrow to Invest

Nearly everyone in the country has some form of debt and the days of debts free living are soon over. You can use these debts to reduce your tax bill provided you have the right type. If you spend money on mahogany end-table or take loan to purchase a car, than it is not the right type of purchase. If you take loan to make an investment, than it is the right type.

The simple reason is the interest applicable on loans for investment purpose is tax deductible. If you purchase any other thing by taking a loan, then such interest is not free of debt. From the perspective of Tax Saving Plans, you should use your savings or cash to purchase these discretionary items. When you borrow money, only best way to use is to invest it.

Registered Retirement Savings Plans

RRSPs are weak apology from the government for citizens who try to gouge the taxes. You can get the most of the options they throw your way in order to make you pay your taxes. Provided you can service the loan in a specified period of time, borrowing to purchase investment is usually sensible tips to save tax. Keep yourself current with the latest trends, a change in regulation and you can find new tips to save tax.

Investment and taxes

Certain investments like stocks provide you preferential tax breaks on capital gains and dividends, which is not available in other fixed income investments. Depending on the rate of inflation and your tax bill, if you hold your money in fixed income investment instruments then it is quite likely you will be exposed to tax. If your retirement portfolio is protected from tax along with your income portfolio, it will be better to maintain a small percentage of investment in fixed income in the exposed portfolio.

Starting a New Business

Own a business and it will enable to write off your gas, car, electricity, home office, kids, and other things. This advice is often given by experts as tips to save tax. This option may not be applicable in every case, but often it is good to have a side business as it absorbs many things. For instance, some of the biggest tax breaks are given to farmer, but they rarely make enough money in order to be eligible for it. If you are absolutely certain of your business plan from which you can earn money, then you should go for it. If you are not sure, look for other tips to save tax.

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Important Consideration While Filing Tax Returns

The streamlined and easy process Tax Returns Mississauga will not give you sleepless nights and heart burns any more. Any person who has basic knowledge of math can easily file his or her Tax Returns. Here are some useful inputs to help you.

Do you have to file tax returns?

All the Canadians who earn money are required to file Tax Return for the income they earned for the year that has passed. People who over taxes returns to the government or whose income makes them eligible to contribute for Pension Plan in Canada then they need to file tax returns. You have to check other criteria as well, to find out if you are supposed to pay taxes. Non-resident individual or international people who earned in Canada are also required to pay taxes and file tax return.

Important Dates

Any person who has earned is required to file for tax return by April 30 every year. Canadian taxation year is from the first till the last month. For instance, you should file Tax Returns by April 30, 2012, for the income earned by you from first to last month of a given year. Individuals with common law partners, self employed individuals or whose spouse own a business are supposed to file personal returns by June 15.

People who are unable to file tax returns Milton by the due date have to pay penalty along with interest also to Revenue Agency in Canada. On the unpaid amount, compound daily interest is charged which starts from May 1, at the rate of interest determined by the authority. The penalty for 2011 late filing Tax Returns is five percent along with one percent for the balance owed by you; this limit is applicable for a maximum of twelve months.

Income Tax Package for Canadians

You will receive a general income tax and benefit package when you will file Tax Returns. This package is received by December 31 of the previous year. The package contains T1 return form, an information booklet, related schedules, and the territorial or provincial schedules. You can order for a tax package by calling the concerned authorities, print the package online after downloading it or can just drive to any postal outlet and receive the package in person.

You should make sure you have all the related documents and information, before you start to file Tax Returns in Mississauga. The documents that you will require include T4 slips, social insurance number, all the information slips related to tax sent by the employer and from other sources where you earned money. All these slips tell you how much money you earned in the past year and how much tax you have to pay. You should also have information about the money you earned as self-employed.

There are numerous ways by which you can reduce your tax liability by way of tax credits and deductions. You should be handy with all the receipts that will enable you to reduce your Tax Returns Milton liability.

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