The Revised & Expanded Canadian Tax & Investment Guide

Kenneth M. Glazier was Chief Librarian Emeritus at the University of Calgary, Alberta.

When one picks up a book with a title like this the question in one’s mind is sure to be, “What’s in it for me?” This does not mean “How can I cheat the government by knowing some new angle of the law?”, but rather “How can I stop cheating myself by my ignorance of some provision of the law that enables me to pay less tax?”

The author is experienced and well qualified to give professional guidance. He is a Chartered Accountant and a member of the Canadian Tax Foundation, he has taught taxation at McGill and the University of Calgary, and he has published previous books on taxation and investment.

The treatise covers a wide range of subjects: maximizing fringe benefits using RRSP, pension funds, RHOSPS, splitting investment income with family members, taxation of Canadian dividends received by an individual, planning for retirement years, incorporating earnings, estate planning, and dealing with the tax collector. The book is not designed to help readers prepare their tax returns, but rather to help them plan their taxes in advance and to take advantage of new provisions in the income tax law.

The book is quite readable, and the many tables and graphic illustrations set forth the alternatives clearly. A glossary defines terms such as amortization, capital gains, grossed-up dividend, and rollover. An index should have been included, since it would save considerable time getting to the item of particular interest.

Whether the reader’s income tax is small or large, this book provides valuable advice on how to reduce the tax bite.