TREB ruling expected to unleash tech innovation in real estate sector + MORE Apr 30th

As it cracks down on offshore tax evasion, CRA’s past enforcement measures have been paying off.
The agency collected $1.57 billion in additional revenue in 2014-2015 by following through on enforcement measures announced in the 2013 budget, reports The Globe and Mail. CRA had initially estimated that the work would bring in $550 million a year.
What Canadians can learn from the Panama Papers »
In the wake of the Panama Papers leak of offshore tax companies, the CRA is now contacting hundreds of taxpayers who have links to the Isle of Man.
The tax agency will be reaching out to about 350 people, and 400 businesses that have done financial transactions involving the British Crown dependency – a small island between England and Ireland with its own tax laws.
Already, CRA is conducting 60 related audits.
Over a 12-month period, $860 million was transferred between the Isle of Man and Canada, says CRA. The agency stresses that just because someone is linked to the Isle of Man doesn’t mean he or she is shirking their tax obligations…

Competition Bureau ruled the Toronto Real Estate Board was stifling competition by restricting access to resale housing data

Sammu (left) and Mandy Dhaliwall (far right) (Photo by Jennifer Roberts)
In our April 2016 issue of MoneySense, we introduced you to Sammu and Mandy Dhaliwall, a young married couple with three kids from Brampton, Ont. They are trying to juggle RRSPs, TFSAs, paying down their $350,000 mortgage as well as their $90,000 home equity line of credit.  Throughout the year we’ll be giving them a financial challenge every four weeks to help them get their finances in tip top shape. Make sure to follow along! Let’s start.
Challenge No. 1
The Dhaliwalls’ first challenge was to go shopping for mortgage rates and find out what new rate and terms they’d be eligible for this July when their mortgage comes up for renewal. Most institutions offer a three-month interest rate guarantee. The couple was asked to check out RateSpy.com, a website that keeps track of mortgage rates offered by financial institutions, and then use this information as a bargaining chip with their own mortgage provider to potentially get a lower rate…

Each week, the Maclean’s Ottawa bureau sits down with Cormac Mac Sweeney to discuss the headlines of the week. This week, the extremist group Abu Sayyaf executed one Canadian in the Philippines—and continue to hold another hostage. The man who was killed, John Ridsdel, was a friend of fomer Liberal MP Bob Rae, who joins us to talk about the friend he lost, and the efforts he made to try and secure his release.
After that, Cormac speaks with a former Canadian diplomat who has handled more than 100 hostage situations for the federal government. He tells us about the risks inherent to hostage situations, and the need for secrecy during sensitive discussions.
Next, we ask: Does Aerospace giant bombardier really need a federal bailout, now that it has landed a $5.6-billion deal with Delta Airlines? As the Trudeau Liberals consider their options, we speak with one group calling for the talks to end, as well as the aerospace workers’ union that says a financial injection is vital to the industry’s future…

Ruling to end Toronto Real Estate Board’s monopoly over MLS access could reduce transaction costs and drive down commissions