Can someone explain how some small business individuals get away with paying the lower corporate tax on stock and bond investments their personal portfolio? Is it as long as the business is operating they can use all available cash in the company for personal investments like mutual funds or stocks. Can they do this currently once the business ends being an active co. Whose really taking advantage here how are bogus businesses being used to save tax...
They should be able to as passive (investment) income is taxed at a higher rate then active (business) income. The advantage is that they can invest income that was taxed at a lower corporate rate than the personal rate.
Business individuals also pay wage to family members who to divide up the income between spouses -- this is allowable if the spouse is actually working in the business if the spouse is not working in the business then the amount is not deductible for tax purposes as it is not laid out to earn income.
The other thing that they can do is "sprinkle dividends" among adult family members again perfectly legal if the family members have invested the business but not if the shares were gifted. Benefit child is 18 needs money for University parent gifts them shares then instead of parent taking out extra funds they pay a dividend to child who is in a lower tax bracket.
All this gives business individual an advantage over employees who receive a T4
Remember Corporate Tax rates have been lowered very low rates (15% for small business corp) because business leaders made the case that they need lower rates to have more money left over for R&D, Equipment updates, hire employees this would stimulate the economy, I don't think that they delivered on their end.
BTW the practice of income splitting with spouse can bite you in the butt in a big way come divorce time, I have seen it happen.