Estate Administration and Probate Applications

Total 135 Posts

No Right to Compel a Will be Proven in Solemn Form

My colleague Gillian Fournie wrote a comprehensive post regarding the Court of Appeal for Ontario’s decision in Neuberger v. York, 2016 ONCA 191. Gillian focused on the Court’s decision that the equitable doctrine of estoppel could not be used as a defence to a will challenge. I thought it might be helpful to expand upon the Court’s other finding in obiter dicta: that there is no automatic right for a….

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Contested wills, Estate Administration and Probate Applications, Estate Litigation, Testamentary Capacity, Undue influence, Wills

TRANSFER OF PROPERTY FROM PERSONAL TRUST TO BENEFICIARY

Recently, the Canada Revenue Agency (“CRA”) was asked to comment on a scenario involving a transfer of real estate from a Personal Trust to a beneficiary where the beneficiary also assumed a mortgage on a property. In past interpretations, the CRA noted that the transfer of assets from the Trust at cost may be restricted where a portion of the property is received in settlement of a debt due from….

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Canada Revenue Agency, Estate Administration, Estate Administration and Probate Applications, Estate Planning, Investments, Liability, Property, Real Estate, Tax Issues, Trustee, Trusts

Challenging Will Challenges – Can they be estopped?

Will challenges are the cornerstone of estate litigation; indeed, they define the practice area. The reasons for launching a will challenge are relatively fixed: lack of testamentary capacity and undue influence being the most common. Another way of challenging a will is to have it “proved in solemn form.” By seeking to have a will “proved,” the propounder of the will, usually the estate trustee, must demonstrate to the court….

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Contested wills, Estate Administration and Probate Applications, Estate Litigation, Executors, In the News, Wills

CAPITAL DIVIDENDS FROM A TRUST TO NON-RESIDENTS – TAX ISSUES

Subject to the relevant sections of the Income Tax Act, a Canadian private corporation has a special corporate tax account known as a capital dividend account (“CDA”) which gives shareholders designated capital dividends, tax free. The CDA of a corporation may include the non-taxable portion of the company’s capital gains, proceeds of life insurance policies on death and capital dividends received from other companies. While a capital dividend is normally….

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Canada Revenue Agency, Canadian and US Tax Treaty, Estate Administration, Estate Administration and Probate Applications, Estate Planning, Executors, Investments, Property, Small Business, Tax Issues, Trustee, Trusts, U.S. Citizen, United States

INCOME FROM TRUST – WHEN PAYABLE IS NOT PAID

Fellow bloggers and I have written in the past about how income from a Trust is not deemed payable to a beneficiary (pursuant to relevant sections of the Income tax Act) unless it has been paid to the beneficiary or the beneficiary has the legal right to demand payment during the year. Recently, the Canada Revenue Agency (“CRA”) was asked to review a hypothetical situation related to this issue which….

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Canada Revenue Agency, Estate Administration, Estate Administration and Probate Applications, Estate Planning, Executors, Tax Issues, Trustee, Trusts

Sale of Ferrari Highlights an Estate Tax Avoidance Method

The sale of a 1957 Ferrari 335 Sport Scaglietti for 32 million euros (about $35.8 million US, or $50.2 million Canadian) earlier this month set the record for the most expensive car ever sold at an auction, the New York Times reported. It also made waves for what the Times reports as a new method of reducing estate taxes – using selective data to undervalue precious collectibles and vintage cars….

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Estate Administration, Estate Administration and Probate Applications, Estate Planning, Succession Planning
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