“Charitable Giving for U.S. Health Care Plunged 11 Percent in 2009, While Canadian Charitable Giving Rose 5.2 Percent, Association for Healthcare Philanthropy Reports” Nice to see that someone recognizes that sometimes things are a little different in Canada! We are…
Those interested in CIDA may find these 4 papers from the Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation interesting. Here is a copy of the press release. Dear colleagues, We are delighted to share with you the results of a year-long…
Here is a note from Imagine Canada on its upcoming Forum with the Ontario Trillium Foundation. The event costs $85. Here is the agenda. Dear Colleague, This is a challenging time for charities and nonprofits in Canada. Funding sources…
The Charities Directorate released “Charities Connection No. 4 – September 2010”. In addition to having some very interesting statistics on the Charities Directorate it also covers educational programs for charities and donor as well as new pages on revocation. Here…
Here is a copy of a powerpoint slide presentation from the Acting Director General of the Charities Directorate, Cathy Hawara, on Registered Charities in Canada.
The charity sector provides vital services and support in communities all over Canada. Here are a few tips to consider when donating to a Canadian registered charity. Hopefully this is helpful – but there is no science to donating –…
Here is an article on CBC today entitled “Charities paid $762M to private fundraisers”. It looks at third party paid fundraising costs. Here are some quick thoughts: 1) It is good to see that the media is making greater use…
CRA just released a 22 page notice entitled “Harmonized Sales Tax for Ontario and British Columbia – Questions and Answers for Public Service Bodies”. The notice is at: To find out about new information from the Charities Directorate you…
This CRA letter deals with “Whether, in a subsequent year, a taxpayer can claim charitable donations previously reported and carried forward on a spouse or common law partner’s personal tax return.” CRA’s position is yes. “REASONS: The CRA’s administrative practice…
It is interesting that Paul Waldie’s article entitled “Gifting tax audits ensnare 170,000 Canadians” was this week’s most read story at reportonbusiness.com It is well worth reading. The comments afterward are the normal i.e. everything from interesting to outrageous. This…
CRA has added another page to the Applying for registration section of their website dealing with registered charities applying for registration who will be conducting foreign activities. This page gives a good summary of the rules surrounding foreign activities by…
Here is a note from Ken Mayhew, AFP Canadian Government Relations Committee Chair, on some upcoming workshops put on by the Charity Law Information Project. Workshop Series: Understanding the Canada Revenue Agency’s Fundraising Guidance (Sept. 7, 2010) This fall…
I will be delivering some workshops on the new CRA guidance on foreign activities by Canadian charities in Calgary, Edmonton and Winnipeg. Calgary Here is the CALGARY FLYER for foreign activities and Registration Information Edmonton Here is the EDMONTON…
On September 15, 2010 I appeared on the Lang & O’Leary Exchange to discuss charity gifting tax shelters and the ongoing CRA crackdown. Here is the link and the segment appears at about 46:08 to 52:01: http://www.cbc.ca/video/#/News/Money/Lang_&_O’Leary_Exchange/1319430780/ID=1592351530 http://www.cbc.ca/video/#/News/Money/Lang_&_O’Leary_Exchange/ID=1592351530 Kevin O’Leary…
I will be presenting at this conference on “Charity Gifting Tax Shelters: From Tax Avoidance to Tax Evasion and Fraud”.
Here is a CRA press release on a Toronto tax preparer who has pled guilty in a tax fraud scheme involving false donation receipts Canada Revenue Agency News Release Toronto tax preparer pleads guilty in tax fraud scheme Toronto, Ontario,…
The recent floods in Pakistan have resulted in CIDA setting up a matching fund and here is my article entitled Understanding CIDA’s Matching Funds for Pakistan Flood Relief Fund.
The US National Association of State Charities Officials (NASCO) and the US National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) will be having a conference in October on the subject of “Charities and Regulators: Doing More With Less During Hard Economic Times”.…
Once every three years the Ontario Council for International Cooperation (OCIC) organizes its Global Citizens Forum. It promises to be a great two day conference in Toronto on international development, global citizenship and humanitarian assistance. http://www.ocic.on.ca/Page.asp?IdPage=9241&WebAddress=ocic Here is the 4…
If you have ever been confused about which expenses are charitable and which administration/management or fundraising when you complete the T3010 Registered Charity Information Return you may find this document helpful: RC317-e CRA guideline on Reporting expenditures by Registered Charities.
Here is the press release from the Canadian government on the extension of the contributions to the Pakistan Flood Relief Fund to October 3, 2010. Registered charities will have until October 18, 2010 to report donations. Here is…
In CIDA’s Frequently Asked Questions on the Pakistan flooding here is the CIDA advice on picking a good charity to donate to. Also CIDA correctly discourages in kind gifts in favour of cash. How do I ensure that my donation…
Finance has released “Explanatory Notes in Respect of Legislative Proposals Relating to the Income Tax Act and Related Acts and Regulations”. Beginning on page 189 it has information on changes relating to charities which are reproduced here. Clause 90 Charities…
Here is the Canadian Bar Association (CBA) Submission on Bill C-470, Income Tax Act amendments (revocation of registration). Here is also the submission in French on C-470