More livestock producers in Manitoba and Saskatchewan will have financial breathing room to help cope with excess moisture and flooding. Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz announced that the list of designated areas eligible for tax deferrals has been expanded.
“This spring was very difficult for our farmers in the Prairies, as they faced extreme weather conditions and unprecedented flooding,” said Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz. “By adding these regions to the list of those eligible for the tax deferral program, producers will be better positioned to cope with the results of the wet and cold conditions.”
The tax deferral allows eligible producers in designated areas to defer income tax on the sale of breeding livestock for one year, to help replenish breeding stock in the following year. Proceeds from deferred sales are included as income in the next tax year, when they may be at least partially offset by the cost of re-acquiring breeding animals. In the case of consecutive years of designation, producers may defer sales income to the first year in which the area is no longer designated.
To defer income, the breeding herd must have been reduced by at least 15 percent. If this is the case, 30 percent of income from net sales can then be deferred. In cases where the herd has been reduced by more than 30 percent, 90 percent of income from net sales can be deferred.
Eligible producers will be able to request this deferral when filing their 2011 income tax returns. Livestock producers are advised to contact the Canada Revenue Agency at www.cra-arc.gc.ca/cntct/phn-eng.html for details on the income tax provisions.
In addition to tax deferrals, existing federal-provincial Business Risk Management programs, such as AgriInsurance (crop insurance), AgriStability and AgriInvest, are in place to help farmers when situations such as flooding occur. AgriRecovery assessments are nearing completion.
For more information on the extent of the excess moisture situation or programs to assist farmers, or for a complete list of designated areas for the 2011 Tax Deferral Program, see the AAFC Drought Watch site at www.agr.gc.ca/drought.
