The Issue Payroll is a significant expense for most of our clients and, not surprisingly, they are often looking to reduce the financial burden represented by payroll obligations.  One way to do this is to convert employees to self-employed independent contractors (ICs).  Care must be taken when doing so, however, as expensive consequences can result…

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Many contractors face bonding requirements in the form of bid bonds and performance bonds. The companies that provide these bonds want assurance that they are taking acceptable risks when providing bonds. Risk assessment includes a regular review of a contractor’s financial statements and operations. Here are the key items to consider when preparing financial reports…

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Of course different things work for different people, but these steps could probably apply to most of our busy, distracted, multi-tasking, first world lifestyles. In a Harvard Business School survey, 94% of working professionals reported working more than 50 hours per week and nearly half said they work more than 65 hours per week. What…

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Pinnacle has the good fortune of having a new team member join us this month (welcome Melissa).  Something we have learned over the years as we’ve grown and shrunk and grown again, is how important a robust orientation for new team members is.  We know that the best people can choose to take their brain…

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“Living Out Allowances” or “Subsistence Expenses” are a great way to get funds out of a corporation and into the shareholder’s hands on a tax free basis.  A number of our clients work in the resource sector – support services for mining, forestry, oil & gas, etc.  These clients can spend lots of time away…

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Another personal tax filing deadline has come and gone. Now is the time when you receive an unexpected letter from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), notifying you that they will be conducting a review of some of your expenses. The CRA reviews or audits hundreds of thousands of Canadians’ tax returns in a given year,…

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As a non-resident investor in Canadian real property, you are required to advise the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) within 10 days of selling your investment. Normally, this takes the form of an application for a Clearance Certificate since the person who bought the property from you is required to withhold tax and you want to minimize…

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Funny?…but we don’t love tax returns (we don’t even like them) Accountant = tax return. Right? Wrong. We don’t love tax returns. I’m talking about the personal returns. The ones due at the end of April. With endless slips and receipts and schedules and forms and ever-changing rules. These returns are the “necessary evil” of…

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When the PMO announced the new family income splitting initiative there was a lot of excitement among families. You’ve probably heard a fair share of criticism as well (which is to be expected when there’s politics involved). But what’s really going on with the family income tax splitting? Is it going to benefit you? Maybe. Here…

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I have a client who for years has held the Annual General Meeting for her corporation on Maui. She and her husband are the sole directors of the corporation (although I’m not sure her husband even knows where the office is, but that’s another matter). Every year she asks me the same question……”Can I write…

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