Income Tax – Planning for Business Succession

Note: The Live Virtual course is presented in collaboration with CPA Western Provinces. The content is applicable to all participants. If you have questions regarding this course, please contact pdregistration@cpaalberta.ca.

Overview:

This course provides a practical, technically focused overview of income‑tax considerations in business succession planning for owner‑managed private companies. You will learn how to identify planning opportunities and apply key tax concepts across the various stages of a business’s life cycle, from early‑stage planning to estate freezes, reorganizations, divestitures, and post‑mortem strategies.

Course Content:

In this course, you will gain knowledge about the following topics:

• Tax and non‑tax considerations across the business succession life cycle
  
• The owner‑manager wealth cycle and its implications for succession planning
  
• Financing considerations for private corporations, including interest deductibility
  
• Estate freeze techniques and commonly used corporate rollover provisions
  
• Divisive reorganizations and surplus‑stripping considerations
  
• Arm’s‑length and non‑arm’s‑length divestiture planning
  
• Capital gains exemption strategies and purification techniques
  
• Post‑mortem planning approaches to mitigate double taxation
  

Learning Objectives:

Upon completing this course, you should be able to: 

• Identify the stages of the owner‑manager wealth cycle and assess their impact on succession planning.
  
• Evaluate succession alternatives and apply key tax and non‑tax considerations, including estate‑freeze strategies and trust structures.
  
• Recognize common tax risks such as post‑mortem double taxation, surplus‑stripping, and valuation‑related issues.
  
• Assess planning strategies for divestitures, including capital gains exemptions, purification techniques, and arm’s‑length share‑sale considerations.
  
• Describe the high‑level application of divisive reorganizations and the role they may play in succession planning.
  

Who Will Benefit: 

• Accountants in public practice advising owner‑managed private corporations
• In‑house tax professionals supporting private enterprises facing succession or ownership transitions