Union Farmer Newsletter: October 2017
Our National Food Policy Includes Farmers! • What impact has Free Trade had on Canadian farmers? (tear-out fact sheet) • Private Corporation Tax Reform — Implications for Canada’s family farms • Bill C‐49 Will Amend Canada’s Transportation Laws Read more
NFU Submission on Tax Planning Using Private Corporations
Our comments provide context to the public debate around this consultation, and we examine some of the underlying issues that have heightened apprehension among farmers in regard to the proposed tax system changes. We believe many concerns were over-stated in media reports. Most family farms are not incorporated, and thus have no access to the tax planning measures under discussion. The tax planning measures would affect profits – that is, net income left after all expenses are paid, including inputs, wages and salaries – and in order to benefit from these measures, profits would need to be substantial. Most farms do not reach the approximately $200,000 year profit level that would make it worthwhile to pay the various legal and accounting fees required to benefit from the tax planning measures under discussion. Canada’s 43,457 incorporated family farms comprise only about 2.4 % of corporations that could potentially be affected by proposed changes. Most important, the $1 million lifetime capital gains exemption for farmers is not under discussion in this consultation process. Read more
Farmers need more light, less heat, in tax proposal debate
The federal government is proposing changes to the Income Tax Act aimed at collecting revenue from corporations that are using certain measures as loopholes to shelter profits from being taxed at the same rate as other Canadians’ income. There is a very heated debate in the farm community about these tax proposals, largely because some organizations and the media in general, have failed to analyze the proposals, omitted key details or have not mentioned that the government is holding public consultations. The actions of very wealthy players who are abusing provisions that were intended to help small business owners have focused attention on tax-dodging practices, resulting in the government’s proposal. Read more
Separating the Grain from the Chaff regarding Tax Reform Proposals
The federal government’s proposal to change tax measures for private corporations is very much in the news. Unfortunately, the debate has become very heated with a lot of questionable information circulating. We have seen reporters saying these changes will make it so there is no advantage to incorporating a farm on one hand, and on the other, suggesting that they will ruin the family farm. Such statements invoke emotional reactions instead of clear-headed analysis.The following information is meant to provide useful information about the proposed changes and their larger context so that NFU members, other farmers and the general public can better assess the potential impact of the proposed changes to tax measures for private corporations, and if they wish, to provide helpful input to the federal government’s public consultation on the tax system. Read more