Weekly Tax Tip
19 Aug 2011
Review your outstanding debt to ensure that you make your interest expense deductible to the maximum extent possible
To be deductible, interest expense must relate to debt incurred to earn business or investment income. Interest on personal debts, such as mortgages or
car loans and interest incurred to make RRSP contributions, are not generally deductible. Another point to keep in mind is that investment income doesn'’t
include capital gains. The CRA takes the position that interest on funds borrowed to invest in assets producing only capital gains isn’t deductible.
Review your loans outstanding at year-end and your overall cash position. Where possible, pay off non-deductible debt as quickly as possible. Avoid using
excess funds to pay off business or investment loans, if you know you will have to make large personal expenditures in the near future. Where you have a choice, always borrow for investment or business purposes over personal uses.
Also, note that where you’ve sold an investment at a loss and continue to carry debt incurred to purchase the investment, you should leave these loans
outstanding as long as you have other non-deductible debt that could be paid off first. Interest from debts relating to the loss on an investment (other than
real estate or depreciable property) continues to be deductible as long as those debts remain outstanding and all of the proceeds from the loss asset are
reinvested.
Important websites:
Canada Revenue Agencey
http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/menu-e.html
USA revenue agency
http://www.irs.gov/index.html
Ontario Ministry of Fiance
http://www.rev.gov.on.ca/
Human Resources and Skills Development Canada
http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/home.shtml
19 Aug 2011
Review your outstanding debt to ensure that you make your interest expense deductible to the maximum extent possible
To be deductible, interest expense must relate to debt incurred to earn business or investment income. Interest on personal debts, such as mortgages or
car loans and interest incurred to make RRSP contributions, are not generally deductible. Another point to keep in mind is that investment income doesn'’t
include capital gains. The CRA takes the position that interest on funds borrowed to invest in assets producing only capital gains isn’t deductible.
Review your loans outstanding at year-end and your overall cash position. Where possible, pay off non-deductible debt as quickly as possible. Avoid using
excess funds to pay off business or investment loans, if you know you will have to make large personal expenditures in the near future. Where you have a choice, always borrow for investment or business purposes over personal uses.
Also, note that where you’ve sold an investment at a loss and continue to carry debt incurred to purchase the investment, you should leave these loans
outstanding as long as you have other non-deductible debt that could be paid off first. Interest from debts relating to the loss on an investment (other than
real estate or depreciable property) continues to be deductible as long as those debts remain outstanding and all of the proceeds from the loss asset are
reinvested.
Important websites:
Canada Revenue Agencey
http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/menu-e.html
USA revenue agency
http://www.irs.gov/index.html
Ontario Ministry of Fiance
http://www.rev.gov.on.ca/
Human Resources and Skills Development Canada
http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/home.shtml