I was recently nominated for a business award. It took me almost five days to determine if I was going to accept the nomination by way of completing the multi-question form and submitting it by the deadline. My challenge in completing the responses in paragraph form had nothing to do with what services my business offers. The challenge was in ‘bragging’ about me and my business because that’s what a number of the questions really boiled down to. In addition, it was a challenge to remember dates, history of community involvement and awards. This was an interesting walk through time.
Tags: bookkeeper Newmarket, bookkeeping services Newmarket, bragging about your business, how to fill out a nomination form, Maureen Burleson, nomination for business award
Whether you’re an employer, or an employee, recent enhancements to the Human Rights Code may impact your workplace environment. I’ve asked Rick Brown of 
GST (Goods and Services Tax) was introduced to Ontario January 1, 1991. So even though I’ve been working with GST/HST (Harmonized Sales Tax) on behalf of my clients for over 21 years, I still attend Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) seminars periodically. Some changes over the years have been minor, like the reduction in GST charged and paid, while others have been major. The last major change was July 1st 2010 when GST in Ontario was replaced with HST, on most products and services.
Effective January 1, 2013 significant changes will be implemented regarding WSIB and the Construction Industry.
During the past few weeks I’ve had a number of clients ask me about the correct payroll deductions for special payments made to employees. Specifically they’ve questioned which payments qualify to have CPP, EI and Tax deductions. A number of these questions came about because they received a PIER report.
In the past few months, I’ve gone through a number of staff changes. Some were my decision while others were out of my control. And I can tell you first hand, that no matter what time of year these occur, they are a drain on time and resources. It can also be very expensive if you make the wrong hiring decision. As a result I want to share with you, 5 things I believe you must know when hiring employees for your small business.
The Ontario government has proposed a new refundable tax credit called the Healthy Homes Renovation Tax Credit. The purpose of this credit is to assist with the cost of permanent home modifications that improve accessibility or help a senior be more functional or mobile at home. Refundable means it is not based on income. The previous home renovation tax credit could be used to reduce the amount of Federal Tax Payable, it did not create a refund.
Earlier this year I was given the opportunity to support what I consider a very worthwhile initiative. It has been spearheaded by Debra Scott of the Newmarket Chamber of Commerce and called the 
Well the rush of tax season is essentially over. There will still be personal tax returns coming in over the next few months but the April 30th deadline is now passed. When considering all the activity over the past couple of months it’s interesting to reflect on the 5 Questions most frequently asked when reviewing personal tax returns with clients.
This tax season I’ve spoken to a number of my clients that retired last year. Some think that since I’ve done their returns for so many years that there’s nothing out of the ordinary that they need to give me. After a general conversation that goes something like “how have you been this past year?”, and “how’s business?” other specific issues like health and elderly parents come up in the bantering. Retirement is a major lifestyle change and it’s important that you take the time to discuss with your tax preparer anything they or you should be made aware of. Here are 5 considerations.
