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Businesses Face Higher Costs as Ransomware Incidents Rise

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Businesses are facing increased costs due to ransomware attacks that are reportedly on the rise according to some quarters. These costs include undertaking forensic investigations, data recovery, legal fees, and financial fraud. This is besides the cost that some have had to pay to the hackers as ransom and in…

Governments Act on Foreign Real Estate Speculation

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The federal government has introduced legislation that will institute a ban on non-Canadians buying residential property for a two-year period beginning on January 1, 2023. This temporary ban is intended to help curb speculation by foreign investors that the government claims has caused Canadians to be priced out of the…

N.B. Municipalities Asked to Cut Tax Rates

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Thanks to strong performance in the real estate market and new construction, property assessments in New Brunswick have risen to a total value of $81 billion. This is an increase of $8 billion or 10.9% since 2021. However, the impact of this performance is not quite good news for property…

$5.3B In New Corporate Taxes Expected

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Two Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) reports estimate that proposed new federal corporate taxes on banks and life insurance companies could reap the government about $5.3 billion over the next five years. $3 billion is estimated to be generated from a one-time 15% windfall tax, dubbed the Canada Recovery Dividend, that…

Alternative Payment Options Gain Traction Over Credit Cards

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A recent survey by J.D. Power indicates that Canadians are now spending, on average, $11 less on their monthly primary credit card use compared to a year ago. The survey polled 6,478 respondents that use credit cards, who were found to spend an average of $1,144 per month. When looking…

BOC Announces Fourth Consecutive Interest Rate Hike

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Bank of Canada (BOC) has announced its fourth consecutive interest rate hike to 3.25%, the highest level since early 2008. It has further boosted the bank rate to 3.5% and the deposit rate to 3.25%. the latest hike is again part of measures being used to control spiralling inflation that…

Prairie Livestock Producers to Benefit from Tax Relief

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It is good news for livestock producers struggling from the effect of extreme weather conditions as the government announced new tax relief measures under its Livestock Tax Deferral provision. This provision will permit livestock producers who are forced to sell off a significant portion of their breeding herd due to…

Northwest Territories Hike Tobacco Taxes

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Smokers in the Northwest Territories (N.W.T.) can expect to pay more to feed their habit after the territorial government decided to hike taxes on tobacco products. The tax on loose tobacco will rise by almost 74%, making a gram of loose tobacco increase by 21 cents. This means a 200-gram…

CRA Holding $1.4 Billion In Uncashed Cheques

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The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) says that it has about $1.4 billion in funds from uncashed cheques sent out to taxpayers. These funds represent a mix of refunds and benefits. The payments can be sent out as cheques or through direct deposit. The CRA had launched a campaign in February…

BC EV Rebate Program Amended

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British Columbia’s (BC) electric vehicle (EV) rebate program has proven popular over the years. To the extent, it has severally run out of funds. However, this has prompted concern that perhaps the program has not been assisting ordinary citizens, but rather those that could have easily afforded such vehicles even…