Taxation
Tax policy, as it applies both to investment funds and individual investors, is an important area of IFIC comment and advice.
IFIC works with its members to develop positions on tax policy and technical issues for submission to federal and provincial governments in Canada. We serve as a resource for tax officials seeking to better understand the impact on the fund industry and investors of specific tax proposals.
Documents
2011
2010
FATCA/CRS
2011
2010
GST/HST
FATCA/CRS
2011
2010
GST/HST
GST/HST
IFIC is encouraging a government review of the GST and HST treatment of financial services.
Mutual fund holders pay four to five times more GST or HST per $100 of value-added than owners of GICs, equities, bonds and other non-fund financial vehicles.
Canada is an outlier compared to most of the more than 140 value-added tax (VAT) jurisdictions, effectively taxing rather than exempting mutual funds. Canada is also the only one of these countries applying federal and multiple provincial rates of tax, adding needless and costly complexity.
While sales tax harmonization is economically desirable in principle, sales tax legislation should be amended to levy the GST and HST on financial products and services in a way that is fairer to investors, economically neutral and administratively efficient.
