Skip to main content
;

Bill C-92

If you have any questions or comments regarding the accessibility of this publication, please contact us at accessible@parl.gc.ca.

PDF

2nd Session, 35th Parliament,
45-46 Elizabeth II, 1996-97

The House of Commons of Canada

BILL C-92

An Act to amend the Income Tax Act, the Income Tax Application Rules and another Act related to the Income Tax Act

      Her Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate and House of Commons of Canada, enacts as follows:

SHORT TITLE

Short title

1. This Act may be cited as the Income Tax Budget Amendments Act, 1996.

PART I

R.S., c. 1 (5th Supp.); 1994, cc. 7, 8, 13, 21, 28, 29, 38, 41; 1995, cc. 1, 3, 11, 18, 21, 38, 46; 1996, cc. 11, 21, 23

INCOME TAX ACT

2. (1) Subsection 12(1) of the Income Tax Act is amended by adding the following after paragraph (e):

Negative reserves

    (e.1) where the taxpayer is an insurer, the amount prescribed in respect of the insurer for the year;

(2) The portion of paragraph 12(1)(o) of the Act after subparagraph (iii) is replaced by the following:

    as a royalty, tax (other than a tax or portion of a tax that can reasonably be considered to be a municipal or school tax), lease rental or bonus or as an amount, however described, that can reasonably be regarded as being in lieu of any such amount, or in respect of the late receipt or non-receipt of any such amount, and that can reasonably be regarded as being in relation to

      (iv) the acquisition, development or ownership of a Canadian resource property of the taxpayer in respect of which the obligation imposed by statute or the contractual obligation, as the case may be, applied, or

      (v) the production in Canada

        (A) of petroleum, natural gas or related hydrocarbons from a natural accumulation of petroleum or natural gas (other than a mineral resource) located in Canada or from an oil or gas well located in Canada,

        (B) of sulphur from a natural accumulation of petroleum or natural gas located in Canada, from an oil or gas well located in Canada or from a mineral resource located in Canada,

        (C) to any stage that is not beyond the prime metal stage or its equivalent, of metal, minerals (other than iron or petroleum or related hydrocarbons) or coal from a mineral resource located in Canada,

        (D) to any stage that is not beyond the pellet stage or its equivalent, of iron from a mineral resource located in Canada, or

        (E) to any stage that is not beyond the crude oil stage or its equivalent, of petroleum or related hydrocarbons from tar sands from a mineral resource located in Canada,

      in respect of which the taxpayer had an interest to which the obligation imposed by statute or the contractual obligation, as the case may be, applied;

(3) Subsection 12(1) of the Act is amended by striking out the word ``and'' at the end of paragraph (z.3), by adding the word ``and'' at the end of paragraph (z.4) and by adding the following after paragraph (z.4):

Resource loss

    (z.5) 25% of the taxpayer's prescribed resource loss for the year.

(4) Subsection (1) applies to the 1996 and subsequent taxation years.

(5) Subsections (2) and (3) apply to taxation years that begin after 1996.

3. (1) Subsection 13(5) of the Act is replaced by the following:

Reclassifi-
cation of property

(5) Where one or more depreciable properties of a taxpayer that were included in a prescribed class (in this subsection referred to as the ``old class'') become included at any time (in this subsection referred to as the ``transfer time'') in another prescribed class (in this subsection referred to as the ``new class''), for the purpose of determining at any subsequent time the undepreciated capital cost to the taxpayer of depreciable property of the old class and the new class

    (a) the value of A in the definition ``undepreciated capital cost'' in subsection (21) shall be determined as if each of those depreciable properties were

      (i) properties of the new class acquired before the subsequent time, and

      (ii) never included in the old class; and

    (b) there shall be deducted in computing the total depreciation allowed to the taxpayer for property of the old class before the subsequent time, and added in computing the total depreciation allowed to the taxpayer for property of the new class before the subsequent time, the greater of

      (i) the amount determined by the formula

A - B

      where

        A is the total of all amounts each of which is the capital cost to the taxpayer of each of those depreciable properties, and

        B is the undepreciated capital cost to the taxpayer of depreciable property of the old class at the transfer time, and

      (ii) the total of all amounts each of which is an amount that would have been deducted under paragraph 20(1)(a) in respect of a depreciable property that is one of those properties in computing the taxpayer's income for a taxation year that ended before the transfer time and at the end of which the property was included in the old class if

        (A) the property had been the only property included in a separate prescribed class, and

        (B) the rate allowed by the regulations made for the purpose of paragraph 20(1)(a) in respect of that separate class had been the effective rate that was used by the taxpayer to calculate a deduction under that paragraph in respect of the old class for the year.

(2) Section 13 of the Act is amended by adding the following after subsection (7.4):

Deemed capital cost

(7.5) For the purposes of this Act,

    (a) where a taxpayer, to acquire a property prescribed in respect of the taxpayer, is required under the terms of a contract made after March 6, 1996 to make a payment to Her Majesty in right of Canada or a province or to a Canadian municipality in respect of costs incurred or to be incurred by the recipient of the payment

      (i) the taxpayer is deemed to have acquired the property at a capital cost equal to the portion of that payment made by the taxpayer that can reasonably be regarded as being in respect of those costs, and

      (ii) the time of acquisition of the property by the taxpayer is deemed to be the later of the time the payment is made and the time at which those costs are incurred;

    (b) where

      (i) at any time after March 6, 1996 a taxpayer incurs a cost on account of capital for the building of, for the right to use or in respect of, a prescribed property, and

      (ii) the amount of the cost would, if this paragraph did not apply, not be included in the capital cost to the taxpayer of depreciable property of a prescribed class,

    the taxpayer is deemed to have acquired the property at that time at a capital cost equal to the amount of the cost;

    (c) where a taxpayer acquires an intangible property as a consequence of making a payment to which paragraph (a) applies or incurring a cost to which paragraph (b) applies,

      (i) the property referred to in paragraph (a) or (b) is deemed to include the intangible property, and

      (ii) the portion of the capital cost referred to in paragraph (a) or (b) that applies to the intangible property is deemed to be the amount determined by the formula

A x B/C

      where

        A is the lesser of the amount of the payment made or cost incurred and the amount determined for C,

        B is the fair market value of the intangible property at the time the payment was made or the cost was incurred, and

        C is the fair market value at the time the payment was made or the cost was incurred of all intangible properties acquired as a consequence of making the payment or incurring the cost; and

    (d) any property deemed by paragraph (a) or (b) to have been acquired at any time by a taxpayer as a consequence of making a payment or incurring a cost

      (i) is deemed to have been acquired for the purpose for which the payment was made or the cost was incurred, and

      (ii) is deemed to be owned by the taxpayer at any subsequent time that the taxpayer benefits from the property.

(3) Subsection (1) applies to properties of a prescribed class that, after 1996, become included in property of another prescribed class.

(4) Subsection (2) applies to taxation years that end after March 6, 1996.

4. (1) The portion of paragraph 18(1)(m) of the Act after subparagraph (iii) is replaced by the following:

    as a royalty, tax (other than a tax or portion of a tax that can reasonably be considered to be a municipal or school tax), lease rental or bonus or as an amount, however described, that can reasonably be regarded as being in lieu of any such amount, or in respect of the late payment or non-payment of any such amount, and that can reasonably be regarded as being in relation to

      (iv) the acquisition, development or ownership of a Canadian resource property, or

      (v) the production in Canada

        (A) of petroleum, natural gas or related hydrocarbons from a natural accumulation of petroleum or natural gas (other than a mineral resource) located in Canada or from an oil or gas well located in Canada,

        (B) of sulphur from a natural accumulation of petroleum or natural gas located in Canada, from an oil or gas well located in Canada or from a mineral resource located in Canada,

        (C) to any stage that is not beyond the prime metal stage or its equivalent, of metal, minerals (other than iron or petroleum or related hydrocarbons) or coal from a mineral resource located in Canada,

        (D) to any stage that is not beyond the pellet stage or its equivalent, of iron from a mineral resource located in Canada, or

        (E) to any stage that is not beyond the crude oil stage or its equivalent, of petroleum or related hydrocarbons from tar sands from a mineral resource located in Canada,

(2) Subsection 18(1) of the Act is amended by striking out the word ``and'' at the end of paragraph (s) and by replacing paragraph (t) with the following:

Payments under Act

    (t) any amount paid or payable under this Act (other than tax paid or payable under Part XII.2 or Part XII.6); and

RSP/RIF fees

    (u) any amount paid or payable by the taxpayer for services in respect of a retirement savings plan or retirement income fund under which the taxpayer is the annuitant.

(3) Paragraph (b) of the definition ``outstanding debts to specified non-residents'' in subsection 18(5) of the Act is replaced by the following:

    (b) an amount outstanding at the particular time as or on account of a debt or other obligation to pay an amount to a non-resident insurance corporation to the extent that the amount was, for the non-resident insurance corporation's taxation year that included the particular time, designated insurance property in respect of an insurance business carried on in Canada through a permanent establishment as defined by regulation;

(4) Subsection (1) applies to taxation years that begin after 1996.

(5) Paragraph 18(1)(t) of the Act, as enacted by subsection (2), applies to the 1997 and subsequent taxation years.

(6) Paragraph 18(1)(u) of the Act, as enacted by subsection (2), applies to amounts paid or payable after March 5, 1996.

(7) Subsection (3) applies to the 1997 and subsequent taxation years.

5. (1) Paragraph 20(1)(mm) of the Act is replaced by the following:

Cost of substances injected in reservoir

    (mm) the portion claimed by the taxpayer of an amount that is an outlay or expense made or incurred by the taxpayer before the end of the year that is a cost to the taxpayer of any substance injected before that time into a natural reservoir to assist in the recovery of petroleum, natural gas or related hydrocarbons to the extent that that portion was not

      (i) otherwise deducted in computing the taxpayer's income for the year, or

      (ii) deducted in computing the taxpayer's income for any preceding taxation year,

    except that where the year is less than 51 weeks, the amount that may be claimed under this paragraph by the taxpayer for the year shall not exceed the greater of

      (iii) that proportion of the maximum amount that may otherwise be claimed under this paragraph by the taxpayer for the year that the number of days in the year is of 365, and

      (iv) the amount of such outlay or expense that was made or incurred by the taxpayer in the year and not otherwise deducted in computing the taxpayer's income for the year;

Part XII.6 tax

    (nn) the tax, if any, under Part XII.6 paid in the year or payable in respect of the year by the taxpayer (depending on the method regularly followed by the taxpayer in computing the taxpayer's income);

(2) Paragraph 20(7)(c) of the Act is replaced by the following:

    (c) as a reserve in respect of insurance, except that in computing an insurer's income for a taxation year from an insurance business, other than a life insurance business, carried on by it, there may be deducted as a policy reserve any amount that the insurer claims not exceeding the amount prescribed in respect of the insurer for the year.

(3) Section 20 of the Act is amended by adding the following after subsection (21):

Deduction for negative reserves

(22) In computing an insurer's income for a taxation year, there may be deducted the amount included under paragraph 12(1)(e.1) in computing the insurer's income for the preceding taxation year.

(4) Paragraph 20(1)(mm) of the Act, as enacted by subsection (1), and subsections (2) and (3) apply to the 1996 and subsequent taxation years.

(5) Paragraph 20(1)(nn) of the Act, as enacted by subsection (1), applies to the 1997 and subsequent taxation years.

6. (1) Section 37 of the Act is amended by adding the following after subsection (9):