A family trust and its beneficiaries – think twice before including your niece or nephew
Discretionary family trusts used to be a staple in most private company corporate structures. The income splitting benefits were obvious, and professionals were more than happy to implement a family trust in almost any corporate structure. The popularity of using family trusts eventually led to complacency from some professionals in understanding the detailed tax rules that applied to implementing those trusts. In the earlier years of drafting trust documents, professionals….