Taxes -- Finished!

Sat down last weekend for my annual March/April tradition of filling out my income tax form and I'm pleased to report that it gets less painless every year.

The net result is a nice little refund for me (Thank you, RRSPs!) but what I really wanted to focus on is an obscure clause in last year's budget I had forgotten about that came up in my favour:

Line 363 -- Canada Employment Amount
Under proposed legislation, employees are eligible to claim an employment amount. Claim the lesser of $250 or the total of the employment income you reported on line 101 and line 104 of your return

For 99% of employed, tax-paying people, this means a $250 tax credit. I remember this news at the time of the 2006 federal budget but I had forgotten it until I sat down to file my return. As best as I can tell this was a Conservative attempt to reward any and all Canadians who have a job for being productive members of society. Seems like an obtuse way of going about it, but who am I to knock a gift horse in the mouth. Every little bit helps.

Postscript:Just a note that my net worth this month has hit another milestone by crossing through the $30,000 barrier. Doesn't really mean anything in and of itself, but I'm pleased with my progress and my long-term plan's progression. Slow and steady…slow and steady….