Montreal Financial

Is Facebook’s Valuation Justified? A Comparison of Key Financial Metrics to Apple and Google

Published on 2012-02-07 22:45:25

The recent release of Facebook's S-1, the financial filings that are required to be publicly available prior to filing an IPO, has created a media frenzy. The report has been dissected and analyzed extensively, financial news networks can’t seem to stop talking about it and it seems that people who have never heard of an IPO are discussing it, fittingly, on their Facebook pages.   The most controversial issue, of course, is whether Facebook is actually worth $100 Billion. 

Preparing your Small Business and Self Employed Tax Return with UFile Tax Software

Published on 2012-02-06 23:57:12

Unincorporated Small Business and Self Employed owners are fortunate to be in an age where preparing tax returns have been significantly simplified.  Not only are calculations automated, but contemporary tax software provide interfaces which make input of data fairly straightforward.  Tax software also help taxpayers to optimize their deductions, so preparing your own taxes has never been easier.  Of course tax software is still only a tool and is not a replacement for tax experti

Essential Facts about Shareholder Loans for Incorporated Small Business Owners

Published on 2012-01-26 21:48:05

There are three primary ways in which you, as an owner-manager, can withdraw funds from your corporation.  You can pay yourself a salary, you can declare a dividend or you can borrow money from the corporation.  When you borrow money from your own corporation the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has put into place strict rules as to when you have to repay the loan.  This is essentially to ensure that the owner-manager does not avoid paying taxes indefinitely.  The basic rule for

Should you register for GST/HST and QST and What it Means to Be Zero Rated

Published on 2012-01-18 23:17:33

One of the first tax questions you will be faced with as a small business owner or self employed worker is whether you need to register for GST/HST & QST.  The answer in most cases is that if you anticipate that your annual gross revenues (total sales) are going to exceed $30,000, then you should register for GST/HST and QST UNLESS you are considered to be providing a zero rated or tax exempt product or service, in which case you are not required to register. A more detailed analysis o

Top 6 Signs Your Small Business Might Need a New Accountant

Published on 2012-01-15 16:36:18

I met with a small business owner recently who had just purchased a retail business and was looking for a new accountant.  It seems that the current accountant was reviewing her books on a quarterly basis, preparing financial statements and doing the year-end tax returns – all typical accountant stuff.  The problem was that the accountant, while charging this small business a fairly significant amount of money, was not really adding any value to their business.   The bo

How to Update Wave Accounting for the 2012 QST Rate Increase

Published on 2011-12-23 21:14:06

As of January 1st, 2012 the Quebec Sales Tax (QST Rate) which had gone up from 7.5% to 8.5% on January 1, 2011 will now increase to 9.5%.  The effective sales tax in Quebec will go up from 13.925% to 14.975%.  Since QST is calculated on the net amount + GST, the rate is not 14.5% but 14.975% .  In other words the effective QST rate is 9.75%.  Business owners will need to update their invoicing and accounting systems accordingly to ensure that the rate is properly reflected.

12 Tax Tips for the Self Employed

Published on 2011-12-22 00:41:35

The self-employed lifestyle holds great promise when you first embark upon it, however you quickly find yourself doing things that you would never have dreamed of.  You are expected to take on role of salesperson, market researcher, accountant, lawyer and social media expert, while not getting paid for any of it.  Your available funds do not allow for outsourcing and at times you are not even aware of what you don’t know.  Luckily the internet provides a wealth of tips and t

Deferred Revenue and its Impact on your Small Business

Published on 2011-12-15 15:20:44

Most small business owners are familiar with the concept of revenues, which is essentially the total sales of their product or service, to customers and clients, prior to deducting any costs.  Revenues are a crucial component of business’ profit and loss statement and it is essential that they are accurate so that the business owners may effectively analyze the profitability of their businesses.  Additionally there are third parties for which the accuracy of the revenues, and cor

Tax Tips: Medical Expenses Tax Credit

Published on 2011-12-12 15:28:24

Canadian taxpayers are allowed to claim their medical expenses as a deduction subject to certain restrictions and limits.  Luckily your root canal and eyeglasses are deductible, but unfortunately your nose job is no longer eligible to be included in your medical expenses (cosmetic surgery was made ineligible as of March 5, 2010) nor is a hot tub that you install in your home, even if prescribed by your doctor.   Eligible medical expenses also have to reach a specific threshold bef

Tax Filings for a Typical Canadian Small Business

Published on 2011-12-04 18:17:12

When starting a business, it can be confusing and a little overwhelming to keep on top of the different types of tax filings that need to be submitted and the timing on each one.  Documents received from the government are not always clear as to what needs to be done, particularly if you are not familiar with what they are asking for.  It can be easy to put them aside to deal with them later, however this will usually result in more letters and if left for long enough, arbitrary assess