Income Tax Severed Letters - 2020-05-27

Ruling

2019 Ruling 2019-0817751R3 - SERP and Group RRSP

Unedited CRA Tags
248(1) "SDA", 146(1) "RRSP deduction limit", section 5 of ITCIA “periodic pension payment”
SERP that maintains the 18% RRSP contribution amount above the RRSP dollar limit (subject to overall 15% or 10% cap)
SERP payouts (including as lump sum) included under s. 56(1)(a)(i)

Principal Issues: Will the proposed Supplemental Plan be an SDA?

Position: No.

Reasons: The Supplemental Plan will provide for reasonable pension benefits and therefore none of the main purposes will be to postpone the payment of tax.

Technical Interpretation - External

9 April 2020 External T.I. 2014-0527261E5 F - Beneficial ownership discretionary power of trustees

Unedited CRA Tags
73(1.01)(c)(ii) 73(1.02)(b)(ii), 107.4(1)(a), 107.4(1)(i), 248(3)(e) and 248(25)
discretion of trustees to retain capital or income rather than distribute to the sole current beneficiary does not preclude the latter being the beneficial owner
discretion of trustees to retain capital or income rather than distribute to the sole current beneficiary precluded s. 73(1.01)(c)(ii) application and satisfied s. 107/4(1)(i)
discretion of trustee to accumulate rather than distribute income to sole beneficiary did not detract from beneficial ownership
"right to receive" all the income not satisfied where trustees' discretion to accumulate income

Principal Issues: In a situation where an individual transfers capital property to a trust governed by the Civil Code of Quebec, the individual is one of the co-trustees and the sole beneficiary of the trust and the trustees have discretion with respect to the timing of payment of the income and distribution of capital of the trust (1) whether the transfer of property would not result in a change in the beneficial ownership of the property as required by paragraph 107.4(1)(a)? (2) whether subsection 73(1) would not apply to the disposition as required by paragraph 107.4(1)(i)?

Position: (1) Yes. (2) Yes.

Reasons: (1) A discretionary power of the trustees with respect to the timing of payment of the income and distribution of capital to the beneficiary would not result, in and of itself, in a change in the beneficial ownership of the property for the purposes of paragraph 107.4(1)(a) as long as the beneficiary is, after the transfer of the property to the trust, the only person who is beneficially interested in the trust within the meaning of subsection 248(25). (2) If the trustees of a trust may, under the terms of the trust agreement, restrict the payment to the beneficiary of any portion of the trust's income, the beneficiary is not "entitled to receive" all the income of the trust within the meaning of subsection 73(1)(c)(ii). Therefore, subsection 73(1) would not apply to the disposition, as required in subsection 107.4(1)(i).

Technical Interpretation - Internal

9 December 2019 Internal T.I. 2019-0818101I7 - Eligible Dependent Tax Credit

Unedited CRA Tags
118(1)(b); 118(5.1)

Principal Issues: Application of subsection 118(5.1) and its impact on the Eligible dependent tax credit.

Position: See response.

Reasons: The legislation.