Posts in Tax.
Posted in Tax

The past two federal budgets introduced various new refundable investment tax credits (“Refundable ITCs”) to encourage and promote the increased adoption of alternative or renewable energy.  In the words of the Federal Government, the “transformational new big five Clean Investment Tax Credit…will help produce, manufacture, or transition to clean energy in ...

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Posted in Tax

For tax years ending on or after December 31, 2023, most bare trusts will be required to file a T3 trust income tax return, regardless of the absence of any income to report, and may also be required to disclose information about the beneficiaries of the bare trust (referred to as a Schedule 15 disclosure).

A “bare trust” is not technically a legal term but is a commonly used ...

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Posted in Tax

The federal government has announced they are removing the Goods and Services Tax/Harmonized Sales Tax (GST/HST) on all new qualifying rental housing constructions to help with the rising cost of living. This is effective September 14, 2023, subject to the passage of the related legislation.

The removal will be by way of an enhanced GST/HST Rental Rebate, available on new ...

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Posted in Tax

Background

Canada has a series of bilateral tax treaties. These have evolved over time to include various anti-avoidance, and anti-treaty shopping rules. These rules include limitation on benefits provisions and purpose tests. The treaty between Canada and Hong Kong had one of the broadest rules.

Many countries, including Canada and Hong Kong, are now signatories to the ...

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Posted in Tax

Revisions to earlier draft legislation on the Excessive Interest and Finance Expenses Limitation (EIFEL) regime were released by the Department of Finance on November 3, 2022. Lawson Lundell submitted comments on the government’s first round of consultations, raising concerns about the overly broad scope of the rules. A copy of our earlier submission can be found at ...

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Posted in Tax

In June 2022, Canada published a report concerning its tax gap.[1] A “tax gap” is the difference between (a) the amount of money a tax authority could collect, in theory, if everyone complied with the law; and (b) the amount in fact collected. Canada’s tax gap has remained stable for the period 2014 to 2018, at 9% of tax revenue.[2] This translates to between $20 billion ...

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Posted in Tax

On February 4, the federal government put forward draft legislation setting out the new Excessive Interest and Financing Expenses Limitation (EIFEL) regime. EIFEL is intended to prevent erosion of the Canadian tax base by limiting net interest and financing deductions of certain Canadian taxpayers generally to 30% of earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and ...

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Posted in Tax

Most taxation is concerned with raising revenue for government expenditure in the short term (typically within a year or so of the taxable event). A well-designed modern tax will also typically involve a withholding mechanism: think, for example, of payroll withholding on wages or the charge / input tax credit system in a typical VAT, such as Canada’s GST. The Digital ...

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Posted in Tax, Technology

The expanded registration requirements for British Columbia Provincial Sales Tax (“PST”) will come into effect on April 1, 2021. Under the new requirements, and where criteria are met, all Canadian and foreign providers of software and telecommunications services will be required to collect and remit PST at a rate of 7% from customers located in British Columbia.

New ...

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Posted in Tax

Due to the recent economic shock of the COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses are considering various options to weather the economic shock. One commonly considered option is to ask existing creditors to forgive all or part of a debt. However, this strategy is subject to a complex regime commonly known as the “debt forgiveness rules”. These rules can trigger important ...

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Lawson Lundell's Business Law Blog covers a wide range of topics relevant to businesses of all sorts, including corporate governance, corporate commercial law, corporate finance and securities, mergers and acquisitions, procurement, private equity and venture capital, intellectual property, and business taxation. Please also see our litigation, project law, China law, and real estate law blogs. 

Legal Disclaimer: The information made available on this webpage is for information purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice, and should not be relied on as such. Please contact our firm if you need legal advice or have questions about the content of this webpage. 

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