On October 18, 2017, Finance Minister, Bill Morneau, provided
some clarity to the proposed changes to the rules concerning
passive income earned in a corporation. The Minister expressed that
these new developments were the result of the feedback the
government received from Canadians to the originally proposed tax
changes released mid-July.
The Department of Finance estimates that there is currently
between $200 and $300 billion dollars in passive assets being held
in private corporations, which represent funds that have not been
reinvested in respective active businesses carried on by these
private corporations. Furthermore, it is estimated that these
assets are generating approximately $20 billion annually in passive
investment income. Morneau stated that the wealthiest benefit the
most from the current regime, namely that 80 per cent of these
passive investments are held in the top 2 per cent of private
corporations.