Welcome to the TAXES.CA Blog

On behalf of TAXES.CA, I would like to welcome you to the TAXES.CA web site and our Canadian tax blog.

TAXES.CA is an online service that strives to provide an additional source of taxation and financial planning information -- information of relevance to Canadians, information which you may not be able to get elsewhere, don't know exists on other sites, or have a hard time finding on the Internet.

Blogging as the New Journalism

For those not familiar with web logs and the blogging phenomenon, quite simply a "blog" acts as an online journal, home to a collection of thoughts, topics, commentary, articles, or simply links to other resources. The new journalism, blogs often serve the same purpose as more traditional media sources: inform, educate, influence, and entertain the masses, in addition to serving as a form of watchdog on a specific topic.

I don't think anyone will [mis]interpret us as a think tank or opinion magazine yet blogs are often the meeting ground of technology and public policy. This technology allows us to react quickly through less expensive means in a less formal environment on a variety of issues.

As this site develops, we will strive to provide new information and commentary on a variety of tax and tax-related topics. We will borrow the brainpower of industry experts (and those just willing to say what they think) to enhance the site with relatively small staff and infrastructure. We will seek the active involvement of industry professionals and constructive feedback from users like you. We will link to existing web-based resources while developing new content and services that meet the needs of our users and the restrictions of our budget.

What is TAXES.CA?

TAXES.CA is a Canadian online service dedicated to providing resources on Canadian taxation and financial planning information. The site currently contains three main components: a web log ("blog") of articles and commentary on Canadian tax issues; a directory service for listing and promoting industry professionals; and general taxation information, resources, and links.

Why TAXES.CA?

In our country, next to hockey perhaps, the subject of taxes is one the most actively discussed and contentious of topics. We feel there is a need for an additional online resource to supplement (or provide diversity from) the resources on government web sites and those of the tax advocacy groups. We also see the need for more Canadian content on the Internet -- information by Canadians and for Canadians. Easy-to-remember Canadian domain addresses like TAXES.CA should be used as a channel to provide or link to this Canadian information, representing a variety of sources, opinions, and perspectives. We feel there is an opportunity to provide to Canadians a central, simple, easy-to-use resource for locating Canadian taxation and tax-related information.

Thanks to you

As online developers we provide the technical infrastructure and expertise to deliver the TAXES.CA online service. We will be relying on others to contribute content, expertise, and generally improve the quality of this site. We appreciate and thank the contribution of all who enrich our site. We especially thank you, the user, for visiting TAXES.CA. We hope you find the site informative, interesting, useful, and occasionally even a bit entertaining -- or dare we predict, even a bit controversial. We welcome your input and encourage you to provide your feedback.

David Jakob
President, TAXES.CA