All About Estates

Tag: cookson walker

Total 119 Posts

Another Resolution for the New Year – Take Advantage of the Low Prescribed Rate

We have talked about income splitting arrangements available to individuals who wish to loan funds to his/her lower income spouse or adult child, or in the case of minor children, a discretionary family trust. Such loans would be used to invest in income producing properties such marketable securities, mutual funds,…

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Capital Gains Exemption Purification before a Share Sale: Be Careful about Timing

Assume a family trust (“Trust”) which has a December year end owns 100% of an operating company (“opco”). A separate corporation (“holdco”), owned by the founders of opco, is a corporate beneficiary of the Trust. Opco is up for sale. Opco has excess funds which may affect the Trust’s and…

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Requirement to File a Tax Return Expanded

As written previously, the requirement to file a tax return for trusts has been expanded. Thanks to new legislation, there are now exceptions to the exception to file. Generally speaking, a trust (other than a trust established by law or judgment) that is resident in Canada must file a tax…

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Source of Income and the TOSI Rules: Clarification?

Since the Tax on Split Income (“TOSI”) legislation was released, there has been considerable consternation amongst professionals as to how the rules apply. Even the most sophisticated readers of the legislation agree that it contains provisions that are both ambiguous and somewhat complicated. Somewhat out of exasperation, many deal with…

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Fair Market Value Used to Test the Meaning of All or Substantially All of the Assets Used in an Active Business

Under The Income Tax Act (“ITA”), if a taxpayer disposes of property that is all or substantially all of the assets used in an active business for consideration that includes shares of a corporation, the shares are deemed to be capital property. The disposal is considered to be a capital…

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Tax Appeals in Estates and Legal Standing

In the land of income taxes and income tax law, it is generally understood that a taxpayer cannot appeal another taxpayer’s assessment without legal standing to do so. This is particularly relevant when the taxpayer being assessed or re-assessed is deceased. In the Estate of Straessle v. the Queen 2018…

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Donation Shelters: A Tale of Financial Misadventure

Due to my conservative nature and my belief that something that looks too good to be true often is, I have been always nervous about people participating in what appear to be very aggressive charitable donation shelters and people who promote them, particularly shelters which appear to catch the attention…

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PLANNING AND ESTATE PLANNING FOR THE DISPOSITION OF REAL ESTATE

I am in the middle of a very difficult Canada Revenue Agency audit of a taxpayer’s claim for the principal residence exemption. It now appears the property in question,  built by my client some 25 years ago may not qualify for the full exemption due to the fact that the…

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Where’s There is a Will (and a Clear One), There is a Way!

In Campbell v Evert 2018 ONSC 593, the deceased had, in the decade prior to her passing, transferred to Mr. Evert (one of the “kids”) the family cottage valued at $145,000. In her will later that year,  she made a specific bequest of $145,000 to Ms. Campbell, the other “kid’,…

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Estate Trustees and Costs of Litigation: Try not to take it personally?

In the work I do, I am asked to provide expert testimony to support litigation. In some cases, I am often quite surprised to what extent parties will continue to litigate matters that appear to be “no-wins” or for small dollar amounts. Depending on the circumstances, parties have taken the…

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