Are incorporated drivers ready to file their taxes properly and are certain carriers prepared to start handing out T4As to all drivers and comply with all federal and provincial labour requirements? Those are among the questions the Canadian Trucking Alliance is asking the trucking industry in print ads which will begin appearing in trade publications over the next week. The ads are meant to alert the trucking industry to Canada Revenue Agency’s recent clarification that it will accelerate the enforcement of incorporated drivers treated as Personal Service Businesses (PSBs), which are not eligible for small business tax deductions, as well as require companies to issue T4As to all self-employed contractors. Many people incorporate for legitimate reasons. However, this does not mean that all incorporated truck drivers are owner-operators or small businesses,” says CTA president Stephen Laskowski. “Many, who do not own/lease or operate their own vehicle and receive payment without the proper source deductions, are either willingly or unknowingly engaged in a scheme commonly referred to as Driver Inc.” According to CRA, Driver Inc. operators are actually considered by the agency to be PSBs and should understand the consequences of choosing to improperly file taxes as independent, incorporated businesses.
The Ontario Trucking Association says it is pleased the Ford Government was listening to the trucking industry as it drafted its Made-in-Ontario Environment Plan. In the plan, announced today by Rod Phillips, Minister of Environment, Conservation and Parks, the Ontario Government outlined opportunities to reduce emissions from the trucking sector while increasing enforcement on some in the industry that attempt to avoid compliance with environmental equipment rules and standards.