Tag Archive for Toronto

Canada Tax: CRA Revised “Sprinkling” Proposals And What “Kiddie Tax” Really Means

The “sprinkling” proposals issued in July 2017 were amended in December 2017 effective for the 2018 taxation year.

As you may recall, the July proposals were designed to tax at the top rate, individuals now over age 18 who are in receipt on what is called “split income” or TOSI (tax on split income). Before 2018, the TOSI was called a “kiddie tax.”

For 2018, the TOSI rules extend to family members who are not active in the business that are receiving dividend income on any type of shares they hold and on capital gains on the sale of shares that are not qualified small business corporation shares. The pre-2018 rules applying to those under age 18 did not extend to capital gains on the sale of shares. Read More

Written by | Posted in Canada Tax • Tax Split Income

Is Cancelling NAFTA Bad For Canada?

The spectre of NAFTA being cancelled is on many people’s minds since the election of President Donald Trump. Washington has pulled out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and wants a better deal for the U.S. in the NAFTA agreement. The recent possible tariffs coming from the Trump administration is also heightening trade concerns. Is cancelling NAFTA a bad thing for Canada? There are 2 ways to examine this question.

The Current State

The first approach is looking at how things currently are and what is likely to happen using this assumption. Canada is the U.S.’s second largest trading partner and the U.S. is Canada’s largest trading partner by a large margin; the U.S. is Canada’s closest trading partner by physical location. Read More

Written by | Posted in Canada • NAFTA • TPP • Trade

Missed The March 15 1042-S Filing Due Date? Better Hurry Up!

The following penalties apply to the person required to file Form 1042-S. The penalties apply to both paper filers and electronic filers. Late filing of correct Form 1042-S. A penalty may be imposed for failure to file each correct and complete Form 1042-S when due (including extensions).

The penalty, based on when you file a correct Form 1042-S, is: $50 per Form 1042-S if you correctly file within 30 days after the required filing date; the maximum penalty is $545,500 per year; if you file after August 1 or you do not file correct Forms 1042-S; the maximum penalty is $3,275,500 per year. If you intentionally disregard the requirement to report correct information, the penalty per Form 1042-S is increased.
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Written by | Posted in Canada • Form 1042-S • TaxConnections

Tax Cuts And Jobs Act Withholding Calculator And New W-4

The Internal Revenue Service this week released an updated withholding calculator and a new version of Form W-4. The calculator and new W-4 can be used to ensure 2018 individual tax withholding amounts are accurate in light of the recent tax law changes.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act made changes to the tax law, including increasing the standard deduction, removing personal exemptions, increasing the child tax credit, limiting or discontinuing certain deductions and changing the tax rates and brackets. Read More

Written by | Posted in IRS • Withholding Calculator

FBAR Must Be Filed Electronically Through FinCEN’s BSA E-Filing System, Not With The Federal Tax Return

FBAR must be filed electronically through FinCEN’s BSA E-Filing System. The FBAR is not filed with a federal tax return.

Public Law 114-41 mandates a maximum six-month extension of the filing deadline. To implement the statute with minimal burden to the public and FinCEN, FinCEN will grant filers failing to meet the FBAR annual due date of April 15 an automatic extension to October 15 each year. Accordingly, specific requests for this extension are not required.

Thus, before the FBAR extended due date of October 15, file streamlined FBARs for each of the most recent 6 years for which the FBAR due date has passed (i.e., is delinquent, and of course timely file the current year FBAR too). Read More

Written by | Posted in Canada • FBAR • Federal • Tax Return

Unintended Consequences Of Tax Jobs And Cuts Act On Canadian Citizens And Others Abroad

“This legislation is being interpreted by a number of tax professionals to mean that individual U.S. citizens living outside the United States are required to simply “fork over” a percentage of the value of their small business corporations to the IRS. Although technically “CFCs” these companies are certainly NOT foreign to the people who use them to run businesses that are local to their country of residence. Furthermore, the “culture” of Canadian Controlled Private Corporations is that they are actually used as “private pension plans”. So, an unintended consequence of the Tax Cuts Jobs Act would be that individuals living in Canada are somehow required to collapse their pension plans and turn the proceeds over to the U.S. government” -John Richardson Read More

Written by | Posted in British Columbia • Canada • Tax Cuts Jobs Act

I Didn’t Receive My IRS Refund Check And My Address Has Changed

Note that IRS will mail you notices and/or a check to the most recent address that it has on file for you. Of note:

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Written by | Posted in IRS • Tax Refund

Explanation And 10 Examples Of The Rules For Determining An Alien’s Period Of Residency In The United States

An alien’s period of residency in the United States must have an official starting date and ending date. The rules for determining these dates are as follows.

Residency Starting Date Under The Green Card Test

If you meet the green card test at any time during a calendar year, but do not meet the substantial presence test for that year, your residency starting date is the first day in the calendar year on which you are present in the United States as a lawful permanent resident (the date on which the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has officially approved your petition to become an Immigrant). Read More

Written by | Posted in US Residency

Non-US Person Owing US Real Property – Check That You’ve Complied With Form BE-15 Claim For Exemption Reporting

All U.S. business enterprises in which a foreign person (in the broad legal sense, including a company) owns directly and/or indirectly a ten-percent-or-more voting interest (or the equivalent) are subject to these reporting requirements. This includes foreign ownership of real estate, improved and unimproved, except residential real estate held exclusively for personal use and not for profit making purposes. Read More

Written by | Posted in Exemptions

FBAR Reporting Requirement Or Exception – 4 Types Of Foreign Retirement Accounts

Foreign retirement accounts do not meet the FBAR filing exception for U.S. retirement accounts in 31 CFR 1010.350(g)(4).  That exception specifically applies to plans under sections of the Internal Revenue Code, that is, domestic U.S. plans.

FBAR reporting of foreign retirement accounts will be determined by the facts of each situation.  However, these general guidelines may be helpful in determining whether your foreign retirement account should be reported on the FBAR. Read More

Written by | Posted in FBAR • TaxConnections