A capital expenditure is money spent to acquire or improve a long-lived asset, capitalised and depreciated over time rather than expensed immediately.
Capital expenditure is spending on assets that benefit the business for more than one year, equipment, vehicles, buildings, major improvements. Unlike an operating expense, CapEx is capitalised: recorded as an asset and deducted gradually through depreciation for accounting and capital cost allowance for tax.
The distinction between CapEx and a repair or operating expense matters greatly for tax timing. A genuine repair is deductible now; an improvement that betters the asset is capitalised and deducted over years. Misclassifying capital costs as immediate expenses is a common CRA adjustment.
Replacing a roof that extends a building's life is capital expenditure, capitalised and depreciated. Patching a leak is a repair, deductible immediately. The tax timing of the deduction differs sharply between the two.
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A tax return is the annual filing that reports your income, deductions and credits to the CRA so the final tax for the year can be settled. Payers withhold tax during the year and the return reconciles that against what you actually owe, producing either a refund or a balance to pay. For 2025 returns filed in 2026, refunds usually arrive in about two weeks for an online return, while a paper return runs on a considerably longer standard because it is handled manually.
Multiply the pre-tax price by the combined rate for the province where the supply is made, then add that amount to the price. If the price already includes tax, divide the total by one plus the rate to get the pre-tax amount, and the difference is the tax. The rate depends on the province of supply rather than where your business sits, so verify the current rate for that province and confirm the item is not zero-rated or exempt.
Most municipalities do not take credit cards for property tax directly. They accept pre-authorised debit, online or telephone banking, cheque, and in-person payment. Third-party payment processors will charge a property tax bill to a card for a service fee, which normally costs more than the rewards earned. The CRA works the same way for income tax and GST/HST: no direct card payment, but authorised third-party providers accept cards for a fee.
Open the forms and publications section of canada.ca, search by form number or title, and choose the PDF for the tax year you need, because forms change from year to year and prior-year versions stay available in the same place. Most personal filers need no printed forms at all, since software approved for NETFILE builds the T1 and transmits it. Paper filers should print the version for their province or territory of residence.
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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
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