The 2014 Budget introduces a wide array of changes that will impact the Charitable and Not-for-Profit Sector. These changes fall into several categories. Some are new measures to encourage donations and increase flexibility for donors in planning their charitable giving,...
As one of the measures designed to ease the administrative burden on registered charities, the Budget proposes to provide additional funding to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) to enable it to modernize its information technology. This modernization will enable organizations...
The Government also announced that the CRA will receive funding to enhance its website (which is already quite informative) and to provide more extensive information to the public on charitable giving trends and characteristics in Canada. It is hoped that...
The Budget introduces a new revocation offence that is intended to curb abuse by foreign state sponsors of terrorism. The Budget proposes that any registered charity or registered Canadian amateur athletic association (RCAAA) that accepts a donation from a foreign...
Over the past three years, CRA conducted an NPO Risk Identification Project. This project involved audits of a broad range of non-profit organizations (NPOs) to determine their compliance with the existing tax requirements. It was expected that a report on...
The Budget introduces a change that is designed to curb the misuse of the regime for donations of cultural property through abusive tax shelters. Under the Tax Act, special deeming provisions apply to gifted property that was acquired by the...
The Budget expands upon an existing incentive for gifts of ecologically sensitive land. Under the Tax Act, donors of land that has been certified by the Minister of the Environment as “ecologically sensitive” are already eligible to claim enhanced tax...
The Budget introduces a significant change in the tax treatment of gifts made under a Will or beneficiary designation. Under the current rules, where an individual makes a donation by Will, the donation is treated as having been made by...
As a further measure designed to increase the efficiency of registered charities, the Budget proposes to revise the provisions of the Criminal Code that impose restrictions on how charities can conduct lottery sales in support of their causes. Under section...
The Report by the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance, which was released in February 2013 reviewed a range of options to encourage charitable giving in Canada and made recommendations related to reducing administrative burdens and improving public awareness....