Proposed Tax Changes for Private Corporations
Kris Himberg-Larsen, CPA, CA
Tax Partner at Wilkinson & Company LLP
Since the initial release of the Department of Finance’s proposals with respect to the taxation of private corporations in July there have been significant discussions amongst business owners, their advisors and their representatives in government. The government has recently backed off on several proposals but the implications of the remaining changes are significant and there may be a very limited time to ensure your business is put in the best position to deal with these potential changes. Despite what some of the coverage of these measures indicates, these measures will not just affect the 1%, they can affect all private corporations.
The Department of Finance was originally targeting three main areas of perceived tax avoidance by private corporations with these proposals but backed off on changes to the taxation of capital gains leaving two remaining changes:
- Income splitting using “dividend sprinkling” and multiplication of the lifetime Capital gains exemption (LCGE);
- Investing in passive assets; and
We will discuss the current status of the proposals, the implications to you, your business and your family and how to put yourself in the best possible position to deal with them.