Andy Wong Tax Counsultant
5013 51 Street X1A 2N6 Yellowknife, NT, Canada

Heads up; I will be taking tax questions on CBC Trails End today; Monday, February 22; 5-6 pm

The 2020 lowest return airfare This is the time of the year when you have two burning tax questions. When can I get my refund?... The Canada Revenue Agency cannot accept your 2020 tax return until February 22. For the procrastinators amongst us, prior years’ tax returns can be filed at any time so there is no excuse to keep procrastinating What is the 2020 Lowest return airfare? Our office has received the 2020 lowest return airfare from Canadian North. Kudos to the airline. Note: as in the prior year, Canadian North states this information cannot be shared. This is what you should do to get your 2020 lowest return airfare. Email [email protected]. Ask for the 2020 lowest return airfare and provide the following information: The date your trip commenced. The community you reside in. The ‘designated city’ closest to your community. If you live in one of the three territories, the tax law states your closest designated city will be either: Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Ottawa or Montréal. For example, if you travelled to Mexico from, say, Yellowknife, the closest designated city for Yellowknife is Edmonton. Tax being tax, let’s walk through a scenario. You live in Fort Simpson. During 2020, you travelled to Mexico in February and staycationed on the East Arm in August. You would email [email protected] for the 2020 lowest return airfares for your two trips and state: I travelled from the community of Fort Simpson My first trip commenced on February 14 and my second trip commenced on August 12 My designated city is Edmonton. I recommend you contact Canadian North now so you can enjoy your tax refund soon after February 22.

The 2018 average lowest return airfare is re-posted from Canadian North’s website. If your community is not noted below, it may be served by First Air. Please email [email protected] and ask for the 2018 lowest return airfare from your community.

Eat this up Here's some great news if you are claiming the northern residents travel deduction on your 2020 tax return. The simplified meal rate has increased from $17 to $23; meaning you can claim up to $69/day/per person for your 2020 travel deduction versus $51/day/person prior to 2020 taxation year. ... No meal receipts are needed if you choose the simplified meal rate.

This is something worth noting. The airlines are not legally obligated to provide the average lowest return airfares to taxpayers. Nonetheless, most do. For example, Calm Air and Air North post them on their websites. The national airlines that fly north do not provide such amounts. Period.... Canadian North and First Air have been gracious enough to calculate those average fares for the past decade. I am very appreciative of their effort. The two airlines - now just Canadian North- have decided not to release the Schedule to the public. That's their current policy. I respect that. That's leaves taxpayers needing to email [email protected] for their respective lowest return airfares amount. It is what it is. The fact reminds we need those amounts and the airline remains committed to calculate those amounts. If the airline is late in responding to your email request, it is also what it is. We are still very early in the tax filing cycle. As to the release of the Schedule, this is a battle for another day I will take it up after the tax season. It's best to engage in that discussion after the calm descends.

The good news is Canadian North has compiled the 2019 lowest return airfares. Unfortunately, unlike previous years, the Airfare schedule CANNOT be provided to anyone. Therefore, there are two options to get your lowest return airfares. Email [email protected] and the airline will response within 48 business hours. This should be your preferred option as the information comes from an airline. ... Or, Email [email protected]. Hope this helps.

Here are my comments to the CRA, in case the links on the previous posting did not work,

This CRA initiative is a long time coming. Its outcome will impact northerners

The 2018 average lowest return airfare is re-posted from Canadian North’s website. If your community is not noted below, it may be served by First Air. Please email [email protected] and ask for the 2018 lowest return airfare from your community.

The 2018 Canadian North’s lowest return airfare for the purposes of the northern travel deduction will be published here tomorrow. Please check back.

A quick read summary of proposed tax changes from yesterday's 2018 federal budget announcement

The 2017 lowest return airfare for some communities are are here

Hot Off the Press. Here are the 2017 lowest return airfares as provided by Canadian North. Hats off to the airline! Please share.

Tax-free but not scot-free.

Still, a staunch paper-filer when it comes to your tax return? The CRA is making it easier to do so...

Here's an answer to that question you have asked or heard too often before...

Here is a summary of the 2017 tax changes coming to your way

The concise article says it all if you are a US citizen living in Canada.

Yellowknife Lawyer Michael Gagnon will be presenting a short complementary seminar on Wills and Estate planning, assisted by John Williston and me. Please check out the poster below

2015 Lowest Return Airfare from Yellowknife to Edmonton

2014 Lowest Return Airfare form Yellowknife to Edmonton

Someone just asked me - like a minute ago - that she was audited for her 2016 travel deduction, and the Canada Revenue Agency wanted the 2016 Yellowknife lowest return airfare. I suspect she is not the only one asked by the CRA, and are looking for that amount. So here is it.

Everything you ever want to know about the Old Age Security (OAS) benefit in one handy, very reader-friendly document. Courtesy of Employment and Social Development Canada.

Here it is - the kilometer rates for 2017 tax year for moving, medical travel and northern residents travel deduction purposes. Hot off the CRA's press. What! It cost more to operate a vehicle in YT than in NT and NU?

If you are in my age group,you would be eyeballing your CPP benefit options, re: when to start; how much you could receive, etc. Here is an excellent article that gives you some answers. Please click on the article's links for much more. Happy retirement reading