Tax benefits and new legislation ring in the new year

Posted on December 31, 2014 in Child & Family Delivery System

TheStar.com – News/Canada – Families with children will receive greater benefits in 2015, but workers will pay higher EI premiums.
Dec 31 2014.   By: Joanna Smith, Ottawa Bureau reporter, Richard J. Brennan, Provincial Politics

The first day of 2015 brings with it a mixed bag of good and bad news for residents of Ontario and right across the country.

To begin with, restaurant and bar patios are off limits — among other places including parks — to smokers across the province and on the national front all Canadians should brace themselves for higher payroll taxes.

Employment Insurance rates will increase to a maximum annual premium of $930.50, compared to $913.68 in 2014. However, the cap on the weekly EI benefit will also rise to $524 from $514 last year.

These are just some of the provincial and federal regulations and legislation that come into play on the first day of 2015.

Among them are the new federal income-splitting measures, which will put money back into Canadians’ pockets for couples with at least one child under 18.

In families where one parent works and the other stays home, or makes significantly less, the parent who earns more will be able to transfer up to $50,000 of taxable income to the parent in a lower tax bracket in order to claim a non-refundable tax credit worth up to $2,000.

Meanwhile, all families — including single-parent households — will see their Universal Child Care Benefit increased from $100 to $160 per month for children under the age of 6.

Parents with children between the ages of 6 and 17 will receive a new benefit of $60 per month.

The increased payment will not actually arrive until July 2015, but that cheque will include the additional amounts for the first half of the year. This enhanced benefit is going to replace the Child Tax Credit for the 2015 taxation year.

The Child Care Expense Deduction is also going up by $1,000 for each age group, although that change only kicks in for the 2015 taxation year, which means families will not be able to claim it on this tax return.

Those amounts will increase to a maximum of $8,000 for children under 7, $5,000 for children aged 7 to 16 and $10,000 for children eligible for the Disability Tax Credit.

The Children’s Fitness Tax Credit is doubling to $1,000 for the 2014 taxation year. It will become refundable the following year, which means that those whose income is low enough not to have to pay taxes will also be eligible for a refund.

In Ontario, the Liberal government says it is committed to seeing that the province has the lowest smoking rate in Canada. The new rules prohibit the sale of tobacco on post-secondary campuses and schools, and prohibit smoking on all restaurant and bar patios as well as children’s playgrounds and publicly owned sport surfaces.

Other provincial changes include:

Allowing five- and six-storey buildings to be constructed out of wood to cut down on the cost of construction.

Enhancing barrier-free design requirements, which the Liberal government claims will make Ontario the leading Canadian jurisdiction for accessibility in buildings.

Introducing new or improved energy efficiency requirements for 22 products, including microwave ovens, water heaters and televisions.

The cost of shipping a parcel through Canada Post to anywhere in the country is expected to increase by 4.2 per cent for most customers beginning Jan. 12.

The cost of shipping a parcel via Canada Post to the United States or overseas is expected to increase by about 1.8 per cent for most customers.

The current price of stamps for mailing a standard letter within Canada — $1 for single stamps or 85 cents each if you buy them in a booklet — will remain the same throughout the year.

< http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2014/12/31/tax_benefits_and_new_legislation_ring_in_the_new_year.html >

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 31st, 2014 at 2:12 pm and is filed under Child & Family Delivery System. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

Leave a Reply