Skip to main content

Featured

CUSMA Wasn’t Renewed: The 10-Year Clock Now Running on Your Job, Prices and Savings

  Canadian Money Brief | Feature CUSMA Wasn't Renewed: The 10-Year Clock Now Running on Your Job, Prices and Savings By MoneySavings.ca | Published November 2, 2026 Quick quiz: is Canada's free trade deal with the United States still in place? The honest answer is yes and no. The agreement known here as CUSMA is still in force, but since July 1 it has been on a different footing, and the way it plays out over the next decade matters to your paycheque, your grocery bill and your savings. Most of us missed the moment because nothing visibly changed that day. That is exactly why it deserves a closer look, especially with the federal budget arriving Thursday. The short version: CUSMA did not end. It moved from a long-term deal to a deal that gets reviewed every year until 2036. Roughly 90% of what Canada sells to the U.S. has been crossing the border tariff-free because of it, so each annual review is a chance for that protection to be tested. For households, this is a slow-burn r...

article

The alternative minimum tax


 

The alternative minimum tax (AMT) is a secondary way for Canadians to calculate their income tax. It is often applicable when you have claimed a preferential tax deduction or credit, such as capital gains, dividend, or employee stock options.

Each year, your tax owing is calculated under the normal method, which considers the preferential tax credits and deductions. This number is then compared to a second calculation where you don’t receive these same credits and deductions, but your tax is calculated at a lower tax rate. For most instances, the normal calculation will result in more tax owing. When the second calculation results in a higher amount owing, you will pay this higher amount. The difference between the regular tax owing and the second calculation is the AMT. When you are subject to the AMT, this should be viewed as a prepayment of future tax. Over the next seven years, you can recover this amount paid against your regular income tax. In order to recover this AMT in the future, you would have to be taxable in future years, thus if you do not have taxable income in these years, this AMT will be lost.

I hope this helps!

Comments