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We at The Benefit Specialists Corp. want to wish you and your family the best during the Holiday Season and moving into 2013! |
Stressful Christmas Shopping is pure pleasure with Custom Concierge!
Source: Custom Concierge, Bernadette Gernazzo | | |
Calgary, AB - People who dread Christmas shopping for those on their list can now breathe easier. Custom Concierge is here to rescue you from the anxieties of crowds, too many choices and too little time. Like a special Christmas Elf, Custom Concierge appears to have put relief in a box and tied it with a bow. From now until Christmas you can have the gals from Custom Concierge purchase up to a maximum of 10 items on your Christmas Shopping list in a 2 hour stint, have them all individually gift wrapped as well as addressed or labeled AND delivered directly to your home or office for the special offer of only $150, including GST.
As one happy client Terri Martin says, "Thankfully, I utilized the Personal Shopping Services of Custom Concierge for Christmas gifts last year and I can't speak highly enough about how liberating it was to have items purchased and delivered to me without having to deal with the hustle and bustle of the stores and traffic. The Season is so busy in itself, I found myself overwhelmed at getting it all done.... (gifts were) carefully selected and gift wrapped beautifully, had a personal touch and were welcome surprises to the recipients."
To book Custom Concierge for this Christmas season be sure to call Sonya at 403-880-9272, email her company at custom@telus.net or visit http://customconciergeservices.com/. May your Season be stress-free, bright & merry!
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Federal budget items affect group benefit plans
Source: Great West Life
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Budget 2012, released on March 29, 2012, includes two key announcements that will have an impact on group benefit plans.
Employer contributions to group sickness or accident insurance plans
The federal budget indicates the government's intention to make employer contributions to a group sickness or accident insurance plan taxable for employees:
"Budget 2012 proposes to include the amount of an employer's contributions to a group sickness or accident insurance plan in an employee's income for the year in which the contributions are made to the extent that the contributions are not in respect of a wage-loss replacement benefit payable on a periodic basis.
"Currently, wage-loss replacement benefits payable on a periodic basis under a group sickness or accident insurance plan to which an employer has contributed are included in an employee's income for tax purposes when those benefits are received. However, no amount is included in an employee's income, either when the employer contributions are made or the benefits are received, to the extent that:
* Benefits are not payable on a periodic basis; or
* Benefits are payable in respect of a
It is Great-West Life's understanding that this change means employer contributions to premiums for group accidental death and dismemberment insurance and group critical illness insurance will become taxable income to employees; this will apply to premiums paid on or after March 29, 2012 for coverage in place on or after Jan. 1, 2013 (regardless of the coverage start date). The federal government has indicated that the tax treatment of private health services plans, group life insurance plans and group disability insurance plans are not affected by this change.
Requirement to insure LTD plans:
The federal government also announced plans to introduce legislation requiring that federally regulated private sector employers insure all longterm disability (LTD) plans that they provide to their employees, as follows:
"In the March 2010 Speech from the Throne, the Government announced that it would explore ways to better protect workers when their employers go bankrupt. Today, the Government is committing to introduce legislation to require federally regulated private sector employers to insure, on a goforward basis, any long-term disability plans they offer to their employees. Once the proposed legislation takes effect, employees with disabilities
working in federally regulated sectors will be assured that the long-term disability benefits they have been promised will be fully protected." Details about the government's plans are not available yet, but it appears that federally regulated private sector employers will no longer be allowed to provide LTD plans on an administrative services only (ASO) basis.
This requirement does not affect the ASO LTD plans of employers that are provincially regulated. It applies only to federally regulated employers, such as banks and telecommunications companies. For more examples of employers that are federally regulated, see the list here:
http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/labour/employment_standards/regulated.shtml.
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The information contained in this bulletin is for general information purposes only. The articles published in this bulletin have been collected by The Benefit Specialists Corp. (TBSC) and we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability or availability with respect to the information, products, services, or related graphics contained. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk. In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits out of, or in connection with, the use of the information contained in this bulletin. Through this bulletin you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of TBSC. We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them. |
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Sean Murray
The Benefit Specialists Corp.
sean.murray@beneco.ca
(403) 547-5236
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