Businesses – Tax information newsletter, Edition 2017-02

July 12, 2017

1. Reminder to representatives: An important change is coming to form RC59 in May 2017

Do you use form RC59, Business Consent, to get online access to your business clients' information in Represent a Client? If you do, here are three important things you should know.

2. Don’t miss out on upcoming payroll webinars. Subscribe to the payroll electronic mailing list.

The Canada Revenue Agency’s next four-part payroll webinar series will answer employers’ payroll questions to help them meet their deducting, remitting, and reporting requirements.

By subscribing to the payroll electronic mailing list, you will receive webinar registration information for the following dates and topics directly:

• Wednesday, May 24, 2017: Answers to your taxable benefits questions
• Wednesday, June 21, 2017: Answers to your employer-employee relationship questions

3. Compliance letter campaign - Message to GST/HST registrants

In June 2017, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) will continue the GST/HST compliance letter campaign pilot project it started in December 2016. 250 letters were sent in December, and 500 in March.

The CRA will send 2,500 letters in June, and possibly another 2,500 in September to GST/HST registrants. Those receiving a letter will be asked to review a previously-submitted GST/HST return with suspected errors and confirm whether the amounts they reported are correct or need to be changed. The registrants selected were identified through our risk assessment system.

The campaign supports the CRA's increased emphasis on helping small businesses to better understand their tax obligations and encourages them to correct any errors in their past GST/HST returns. It also serves to increase understanding of tax obligations and promote compliance going forward.

4. Are you self-employed? Know your tax obligations

If you are self-employed or the spouse or common-law partner of someone who is, the deadline to file your 2016 income tax and benefit return is midnight on June 15, 2017.

The legislated due date for any balance owing is April 30. However, since that date is a Sunday in 2017, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) will consider your payment to have been made on time if the CRA receives it, or it is postmarked, no later than midnight on May 1.

In addition to interest, a late-filing penalty may apply to returns received after the June 15 deadline.

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Date modified:

2017-07-13