An asset is anything of value your business owns or controls that is expected to provide future economic benefit, from cash to equipment to intellectual property.
Assets sit on the left side of the balance sheet and are split into current assets (cash, receivables, inventory, expected to be used or converted within a year) and non-current assets (equipment, vehicles, buildings, intangibles, held longer term).
For tax, how an asset is treated depends on its type. Long-lived assets are capitalised and deducted over time through capital cost allowance rather than expensed immediately, while inventory and supplies flow through as they are used. Getting the classification right determines when you get the deduction.
A delivery company's assets include the cash in its bank account (current), the receivables owed by customers (current), and its trucks (non-current). The trucks are capitalised and depreciated through CCA Class 10 rather than deducted in full the year they were bought.
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Canada runs three systems. The federal GST is 5% for 2026 and applies nationally. Five participating provinces fold a provincial share into one harmonised rate: 13% in Ontario, 15% in New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island, and 14% in Nova Scotia since 1 April 2025. Others add their own tax to the 5% GST, giving 12% in British Columbia and Manitoba, 11% in Saskatchewan and 14.975% in Quebec. Alberta and the territories charge 5% only.
The GST rate is 5%, unchanged since 1 January 2008 and current for 2025 and 2026. It reaches every province and territory, but in five provinces it is folded into the HST: you charge 13% in Ontario, 15% in New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island, and 14% in Nova Scotia, down from 15% on 1 April 2025. In Alberta, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Yukon, 5% applies alone.
Start with total income from every source for the year, including employment, self-employment, investments and pensions. Subtract the deductions you qualify for, such as RRSP contributions, child care costs, union dues and deductible employment expenses, to reach net income. Take off any further deductions that apply at the next stage, losses carried forward among them, and what remains is taxable income, the figure the brackets are applied to. Credits reduce the tax calculated on that figure rather than the income itself.
Tax break is informal shorthand for anything that lowers your tax: a deduction, a credit, an exemption or a deferral. A deduction reduces the income you are taxed on, so it is worth your marginal rate. A credit reduces the tax itself, and a refundable credit can be paid out even when no tax is owing. A deferral, such as an RRSP contribution or a rollover on incorporating, delays the tax rather than removing it.
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Reviewed and fact-checked by Udit Gupta
Ex Big 4 — Ernst & Young, Deloitte · International & cross-border tax specialist · CPA Canada (In-Depth Tax Program) · Chartered accountant, ICAI & MIA
Udit Gupta has over 15 years of experience helping corporations and business owners with corporate structuring, corporate tax filing, bookkeeping, payroll, GST/HST, cross-border tax and CRA representation. Big 4 trained at Ernst & Young and Deloitte, and qualified as a chartered accountant in India and again in Malaysia, he founded his accounting practice in 2014 to serve entrepreneurs, startups and non-resident business owners across Canada. View full member bio.
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India — member 521458 · Malaysian Institute of Accountants — member CA 44667 · Ex Big 4: Ernst & Young, Deloitte · CPA Canada (In-Depth Tax Program), completed 19 Dec 2023 · In-Depth GST/HST Part I, 12 Jul 2022 · Part II, 5 Jul 2023
Editorial policy. Every page is researched against primary sources — the Income Tax Act, CRA publications and CPA Canada guidance — and every rate or threshold is stated with the tax year it applies to.
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