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March 21, 2022 by John F. Oakey

Are capital gains rates set for a hike?

It’s time to get out the Magic 8-ball, shake it feverishly, stare into the depths of the swirling black mist and ask the question:

“Will the capital gains inclusion rate increase in the 2022 federal budget?”

Before the Magic 8-ball provides us with its mystical answer, let’s review what information we do have to see if we can predict the outcome on our own.

August 23, 2021 by Bud Arnold

The rules of family farm transitions are changing

When selling a farm corporation, there are tax advantages to selling to a stranger than to someone in your own family. It has always been difficult to transition corporate-owned farms to the next generation, because the sale of a corporation within a family is taxed at a punitive rate – one that would be lower if the buyer was an unrelated person.

July 14, 2021 by Thomas Blonde

Four reasons to consider renting farmland

The advantages of buying property are well known to most farmers. It is a great way to build equity in your business and it usually grows in value over time. In addition, owning farmland offers more tax planning options down the road, allows you to avoid rent increases, gives you more freedom in the way you use the land and protects you from losing access to the land, in the event your landlord decides to sell the land or rent to someone else. However, in spite of all these advantages, there are also several reasons it might be preferable to rent farmland.

June 28, 2021 by Luther VanGilst

New tax savings for farmers buying capital assets

Farmers who are thinking of buying a major capital asset like machinery or equipment may soon see significant tax savings. In the 2021 federal budget, important changes were proposed to the capital cost allowance rules. Before these changes were introduced, capital assets were depreciated according to their class. For example, if a farmer purchased a Class 10 tractor or combine, the capital cost allowance on that asset in the year of purchase was 45 per cent. However, the new rules no longer organize assets by class, instead allowing farmers to fully expense capital assets up to $1.5 million in the year of purchase. 

June 17, 2021 by Luc Joye

The drawbacks of deferring taxes

Most businesses must pay taxes on all income, including accounts receivable and inventory in the year they are created. However, farm businesses are one of the few exceptions, as they are permitted to pay taxes on a cash basis. As a result, they have the unique ability to deduct prepaid expenses and push income into future years. Rather than pay tax on inventory, they can wait until this inventory has been sold. While most farmers prefer to take advantage of this deferral opportunity, this is not always the best option.

February 18, 2021 by Thomas Blonde

How to maximize tax benefits for farm vehicles

While many of the vehicles purchased by farm businesses – such as tractors and other farm machinery – are used exclusively for business purposes, some road-going vehicles (i.e., pick-up trucks, vans) can also be used outside the farm business, which causes complications from a tax perspective.