Newsletter

  One Comment About Taxation – Does the Carney Phrase of “Spend Less, Invest More” Make Any Sense?  What Are the Tax Consequences?   Let’s pretend that you want to buy a car for $50,000.  You have some savings of $20,000 and thus you will need to finance the other $30,000.  The savings was accumulated from…

  One Comment About Taxation – Will a Carney-Led Liberal Government Introduce a Home Equity Tax, Re-Introduce the Carbon Tax and Introduce a Wealth Tax?   Well, there’s less than two weeks to go before Canadians go to the polls.  At this point, the Conservative strategy appears solid:  release sensible policies that call for change including…

  One Comment About Taxation – So the Liberals Think That Recycling the 1970s MURB Tax Shelter Idea is a Good One, Eh?   I love studying history.  There’s so much to learn!  In my undergraduate studies, I made sure to load up on post-Confederation Canadian history courses.  It’s truly fascinating to learn how this country…

  One Comment About Taxation – Pierre Poilievre’s “Big Idea” on Capital Gains Is Welcome!   It’s been fascinating to watch the fawning over Mr. Carney by much of Canadian legacy media (PostMedia being an obvious exception) and a large group of Canadians.  It should not be surprising to me, but it is. It’s amazing to me how many people appear…

  One Comment About Taxation – Who is Mark Carney?  And What Does Canada Need From a Tax Policy Perspective?   Well, Canadians are finally headed to the polls after enduring a lame duck government, capped by a newly anointed Prime Minister whose recent policy reversals reek more of opportunism than leadership.   At the…

  One Comment About Taxation – Canada Needs Tax Reform; Not to Get “Fooled Again”   Another tax season, another tax filing debacle.   On March 11, 2025, the Canada Revenue Agency announced that its systems were not yet ready for personal tax filings that include capital gains with the following statement:   “The CRA recommends that…

  One Comment About Taxation – Tariffs Are a Tax and Will Be Felt Broadly   U.S. President Donald Trump’s leadership style is hard to pin down precisely.  However, there is no doubt he embraces elements of the chaos theory of leadership.  Such a leadership style disrupts norms, often creating instability that forces others to react.…

  One Comment About Taxation – Mark Carney’s Proposal to Separate the Federal Budget into “Operational” and “Capital” Budgets is a Tired Old Accounting Trick   Luca Pacioli – the Father of double-entry accounting – was onto something when he contributed his wisdom in the 15th century to create what we know today.  Out of his principles, the basic…

  One Comment About Taxation – Have You Ever Thought About How Much Government Taxes, Fees and “Levies” You Actually Pay?   When people talk about paying taxes, there is usually an automatic assumption that the topic is about income tax.  However, have you ever thought about all of the other types of taxes and…

  One Comment About Taxation – History Provides Lots of Guidance About Taxation….The Lesson?  Canada Desperately Needs Significant Tax Reform   Over my career, I’ve had the privilege of knowing Arnold Sherman, one of Canada’s first international tax practitioners. Starting in the 1960s, Arnold built one of the most impressive taxation libraries in Canada—a collection…