Making sure you’re not taken to the cleaners by the tax man

With the deadline to make an RRSP contribution for your 2012 tax return fast approaching, an expert with H & R Block has some advice.

Cleo Hamel says making your contribution is much more important than thinking about the investment you’re going to park the money in.

“Don’t worry today about where you need to invest that money,” Hamel tells 660News.  “At least make that contribution so that you get the tax credit that you can use.  Far too many people come to see on March 2nd and it’s already too late.”

Hamel adds one thing people often forget about at this time of the year is charitable donations, pointing out a little known fact about the credit.

“Donations can be accumulated for five years and claimed all at once, because the benefit to charitable donations is that you get a 15 per cent credit on the first $200 of donations that you make, and you get 29 per cent on every dollar over $200,” she notes.

With T-4’s arriving in the mail over the next few weeks, Hamel says people shouldn’t be in a hurry to file their taxes.  She recommends you take your time and explore the many tax deductions and credits available, such as income splitting, because they can make a big difference on the bottom line of your return.