How to Reduce the Tax You Pay
by Deloitte & Touche
Key Porter, 276 pages

How to Reduce the Tax You Pay is a great little book of tax strategies and filing tips by one of Canada's leading accounting firms. Annually revised, it is far from the most comprehensive guide, but it is one of the most accessible. The advice is sound, tips clear. There is, for example, a clear definition of principal residence. There are valuable comments on use of the Home Buyer's Plan that allows use of RRSPs to finance a home. Tax implications of spouses and children, comments on tax shelters, and discussions of tax credits for those over 65 are brief and bright. The book was substantially complete before the Oct. 19, 2000 mini-budget that preceded the federal election, but important changes are listed in an appendix. One wishes those changes had been put into the text, but with those amendments, the guide is up to date. Even if one's return is prepared by a tax professional, this is a guide one should read carefully.