Monthly Archives: March 2011

Check out these Canadian tax tips from Certified General Accountant, Marilyn Benninger.

Whether you like it or not, tax season is upon us. Marilyn Benninger, Certified General Accountant (CGA) and tax expert representing Canadian tax software giant, UFile, provides busy parents with tips for filing taxes:

• Does your child love hockey, soccer, baseball AND swimming? Parents can claim up to $500 for children activities aimed at keeping fit.
• Tax filing is a “family affair”. If you are married and/or have dependants, prepare the returns for yourself, your spouse and dependants at the same time. Only then can you (or your software) accurately prepare your tax returns and find the deductions, credits and transfers that can get you a better tax refund.
• Two plus two makes five? Little wonder that the most frequent mistakes the Canada Revenue Agency finds on tax returns prepared by hand are due to mathematical error. To avoid such errors, use quality tax software.
• Are you taking care of a parent aged over 65? If so, you may be able to claim the “caregiver amount” on your tax return for each parent living with you who is infirm. To do so, your parent need not be “Disabled” under the Tax Act but they must be dependent on you.
• Working from home can mean substantial tax savings. When you have a home office that is clearly set apart from the rest your home and you have no office space dedicated to you by your employer, you may claim home office expenses such as telephone, equipment and electricity and heat according to the space dedicated to your office.

Canadian Tax Tips

Do you have any tips for filing taxes that aren’t mentioned above? We’d love to hear them! We’d also be interested to learn how you do your taxes: do you file them on your own, use Canadian tax software, or hire a pro to take care of them for you?

Social media is still your #1 unleveraged asset.

Witness what happens when you:

• Blow up your business model;
• Tie online interaction to trust;
• Measure your social media ROI

Martell Homes has received national recognition and been written about in two recently published books – The Now Revolution and Nuts, Bolts and a Few Loose Screws – for this very reason.

At the age of 26, Pierre rocketed from the brink of bankruptcy to unparalleled growth in the home building industry because he made social media his business.

He firmly believes that collaborating and sharing best practices among like-minded entrepreneurs is the only sure fire way to accelerate success in business.

Register by March 22nd and discover how Martell Home’s built and sold 91 homes in two years using social media – and more importantly, how these ideas can be applied in your business.

Register Now

Time: 9-11am

Date: March.24, 2011

Location: Jim Gilberts Wheels and Deals – World Class Boardroom!

402 St. Marys Street

Fredericton, New Brunswick

Cost: Free

As a team of NON-Curlers we want you to Kick Our Butt for Charity! But we’re going to demand you do it in style.

For every point you score during the game, MHB will donate $25 to Harley’s Heros

So how do you qualify to be a team that rivals *cough-cough* our mad curling skills?  Well that kind of passion and skill must be captured in a team photo!!  You can use ours as a guideline of sorts – but feel free to outdo us (it’s for the love of fun and charity – so go nuts)!

How can you qualify? Upload a photo of your team to our Facebook Fan Page (We fully expect wacky looking team photos)

What do you get out of it? We promise to feed you, and it should be good for lots of laughs

Where is this all happening? Beausejour Curling Club , 80 Lockhart Ave, Moncton, NB

When is it again? March 25th, 2011     3:30 – 7:00pm

SHOW US YOUR STUFF!

*disclaimer*  MHB is not responsible for bruised knees or egos …all participants enter and play at their own risk.

We are so stoked. For the second year in a row, we have received the Atlantic Home Warranty Customer Choice Award!

Atlantic Home Warranty is a not-for-profit organization that offers third-party warranties on new homes providing protection for new homebuyers, as well as the confidence they need in home builders. The company is based in Halifax, with representatives in all four Atlantic provinces.

New homeowners decided on the winner of the Atlantic Home Warranty Customer Choice Award, basing their decision on the quality of service they received, so it’s a complete honour to accept this award.

Anyone who knows us, knows that we’re “all about the experience” and so it’s absolutely fantastic that we have accomplished our number one priority: making the home building experience the best it can possibly be.

To our wonderful clients: thanks for choosing Martell Home Builders to build your new home!