Voyageur 144
Carney Goes Back to Saudi Arabia, and Your Phone Bill Might Help at Tax Time.
News for residents of the “11th province”: Canadians abroad.
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Carney Goes Back to Saudi Arabia
PM Mark Carney landed in Jeddah on Wednesday for the first visit to Saudi Arabia by a sitting Canadian prime minister in more than a quarter century (26 years, to be precise). He is meeting Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and business leaders while Canada tries to turn a repaired diplomatic relationship into trade and investment deals.
The relationship cratered in 2018 after Ottawa criticized Saudi Arabia about human rights activists. Riyadh kicked Canada's ambassador out, pulled its own, and froze trade talks. Ambassadors got back to their posts in 2023, and now the two countries are talking investment, food, security, energy, and the Strait of Hormuz.
Read more: Global News / Canada's National Observer
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A photo from the old country:
Your Phone Bill Might Help at Tax Time
Some Canadian phone bills can still do a little work at tax time, if the paperwork is there to back it. MoneySense says employees who need to use their own phone for work may be able to claim part of the service cost if they have a signed T2200 and were not reimbursed.
The claim has strings, though, because the cost has to be reasonable, the work use has to be documented, and the personal slice has to be split out. Connection fees can’t be counted. Buying the phone doesn’t count either, though a lease can work for commissioned employees when the work portion is clear.
Self-employed Canadians get a cleaner version of the deal. Business-use phone costs can be deducted when they are tied to earning income. If you’re a Canadian abroad still filing in Canada, earning Canadian income, or keeping a Canadian business alive from another time zone, your humble phone bill might deserve a fresh look.
Read more: MoneySense