Strategies For Dealing With The New SBD Rules

Some taxpayers utilize corporate groups, which have been structured to multiply their access to the small business deduction (SBD). The SBD allows a company to pay a lower tax rate on the first $500,000 of income each year. Access to the SBD is sometimes limited as it must be shared by associated corporations and corporate partners. To avoid having to share the SBD, some businesses that naturally work in groups, have structured their affairs in a way that allows more than one $500,000 small business deduction. In reaction to this multiplication strategy, the government introduced legislation in the 2016 federal budget to end the effectiveness of such structures and, in effect, increase tax rates for companies in such groups.