Mark Brader:
> These questions were written to be asked in Toronto on 1998-04-06,
> and should be interpreted accordingly... For further information...
> see my 2020-06-23 companion posting on "Reposted Questions from the
> Canadian Inquisition (RQFTCI*)".

> * Game 10, Round 1 - Current Events (excerpt)

> This round is based on editorial cartoons that appeared in Canadian
> newspapers """last week""" -- that is, in 1998. Answer if you like
> for fun, but for no points.

> 1. http://www.eskimo.com/~scs/msb/oo10/1/A.jpg

> This cartoon refers to a debate that's been going on for decades
> about whether a certain police force should wear sidearms.
> The word we've blotted out in this cartoon appeared between
> "rotten" and "criminals" in the upper right corner: what is it?

Newfoundland.

The cartoon is by the "Evening Telegram"'s Kevin Tobin. The police
force there is the RNC... the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary.

> 2. http://www.eskimo.com/~scs/msb/oo10/1/B.jpg

> This cartoon by Patrick Corrigan appeared in the "Toronto
> Star" """last Wednesday""". What reassuring quip was written,
> upside-down, on the button that we've blotted out on the Great
> Man's lapel?

"April Fool".

The caricature, of course, is of Brian Mulroney.

> I wrote both of these rounds.

> * Game 10, Round 2 - Canadiana - Income Tax

> All answers pertain to the 1997 tax year, i.e., the return that
> you """will probably be filing shortly""" if you haven't already
> done it. So if you were paying attention to the budget """in
> February""", you should temporarily forget everything you learned.

> *Note*: If you want to give current information, I will generously
> accept answers pertaining to either the 2019 or the 2020 tax year,
> so long as the facts stated in the question are still generally
> correct. If they aren't, you must give the originally expected
> answer. You *never* need to mention which year you are answering
> for.

> 1. For what type of income is it the case that you initially report
> a so-called "grossed-up" or "taxable" amount, 25% larger than
> the actual income, but then claim on Schedule 1 a credit of
> 13+1/3 % (thirteen and a third percent) of the actual amount
> of this income?

Dividends (from taxable Canadian corporations). 2 for Dan Blum.

This is done as a way of correcting for the income tax that the
corporation already paid on the money before distributing it as
dividends.

In 2019-20, dividends are now classified as "eligible" or "other
than eligible", depending on which corporate tax rate was applicable.
It's up to the organization paying you the dividends to classify them
correctly, when they report the amount to you on a T3 or T5 slip.
For eligible dividends, the old 25% gross-up is now 38% and the credit
is 15.0198% of the grossed-up amount, or approximately 10.8839%
of the actual amount; for other dividends the gross-up is 15% and
the credit is 9.0301% of the grossed-up amount, or about 7.8523%
of the actual amount. Also, there is no Schedule 1 any more; it's
been merged into the T1 form. But none of this is important now;
the method of reporting is still essentially as described, so the
question stands.

> 2. Capital gains can sometimes be offset against capital losses,
> but if you have a capital gain that you cannot offset and that
> isn't exempt for another reason, in most cases what fraction
> of the gain must you count as income?

1997-98 answer: 3/4. 2019-20 answer: 1/2. 2 for Dan Blum.

> 3. The next three questions are about calculating your federal
> non-refundable tax credits, which replaced many of the
> deductions from net income """about 10 years ago""". When
> doing this calculation, most people start with a constant
> "Personal Amount", which effectively represents the amount of
> income that is always tax-free federally. Within 12% of the
> actual number, how many dollars is that?

1997-98 answer: $6,456. 2019 answer: $12,069. 2020 answer: $13,229.
(Accepting $5,681-$7,231 or $10,620-$14,817.)

In 1997-98 this would also have applied to provincial tax, but that
now has a separate calculation of non-refundable tax credits, so
I've reworded the question to eliminate that issue. Also, starting
with tax year 2020, people with more than $150,473 of net income
have their Personal Amount reduced -- it can go as low as $12,298 --
but that's not "most people".

> 4. Within 25% of the actual number, how many dollars is your federal
> Spousal Amount, if you are supporting a spouse who has no income,
> but you are not a caregiver?

1997-98 answer: $5,380. 2019-20 answer: Same as your Personal Amount.
(Accepting $4,035-$6,725 or $9,051-$16,537.) 2 for Dan Blum.

> 5. The next step in the non-refundable credit calculation is to
> add up these and other amounts and take a certain percentage
> of the total. If you aren't claiming anything for charitable
> donations, that percentage yields the amount of your federal
> non-refundable tax credit. Within 1 percentage point, what
> percentage do you take?

The same as the federal tax rate in the lowest bracket.
1997-98 answer: 17%. 2019-20 answer: 15%. (Accepting 14%-18%.)

> 6. Several things may enter into the calculation of your RRSP
> contribution room, but the most fundamental one is a percentage
> of the previous year's earned income. Within 2 percentage
> points, what """is""" that percentage?

18% (accepting 16%-20%).

This is still true, but the CRA now seems to expect people to let
them calculate it instead of providing a form to do it on.

> 7. If you have to pay income tax by installments, how often are
> they due?

Quarterly. 4 for Dan Blum.

> 8. The basic federal tax calculation (on Schedule 1) begins
> by classifying your taxable income into one of three brackets.
> (For 2019-20: five brackets, and it's on the T1.) Within $4,000
> in either case, give the number of dollars of taxable income
> that forms (A) the top boundary of the bottom bracket, *or*
> (B) the bottom boundary of the top bracket. You *must* say
> whether you are answering question A or B, but you don't have
> to say for what year.

(A): 1997-98 answer: $29,590. 2019 answer: $47,460. 2020 answer:
$48,535. (Accepting $25,590-$33,590 or $43,460-$52,535.) (B):
1997-98 answer: $59,180. 2019 answer: $210,371. 2020 answer:
$214,368. (Accepting $55,180-$63,180 or $206,371-$218,368.)

> 9. Most taxpayers have to add a surtax that is what percentage of
> the basic federal tax?

3%. (This surtax no longer exists, so only the 1997-98 answer
was acceptable.)

> 10. In the initial calculation of Ontario provincial income tax,
> what percentage of the basic federal tax do you take, within
> 3½ percentage points?

48% (accepting 44½%-51½%). (This method of calculation is no longer
used, so only the 1997-98 answer was acceptable.)

I made the leeway 3½ percentage points because there were periods
in the past when the percentage was in half points.

Today the initial calculation uses a separate set of provincial
tax brackets applied to taxable income like the federal ones, but
determined by the province.

> * Game 10, Round 3 - Geography - Border Towns

> In each case we will name a city that is on a state or national
> border, or in some cases merely close to the border, and you simply
> have to tell us what's on the other side.

None of these answers have changed since 1998.

> 1. What other country """is""" nearest the French city of Lille?

Belgium. 4 for Bruce, Erland, Dan Blum, and Dan Tilque. 3 for Pete.

> 2. What other country """is""" nearest the Italian city of Trieste?

Slovenia (not Croatia, which is beyond a strip of Slovenian territory;
both countries had seceded from Yugoslavia well before 1998).
4 for Erland and Dan Tilque. 2 for Bruce and Pete.

> 3. What city or town """lies""" across a *state* boundary from
> Vancouver, Washington?

Portland, Oregon. 4 for Bruce, Erland, Pete, and Dan Tilque.

> 4. What US city or town """is""" nearest Ft. Frances, Ontario?

International Falls, Minnesota.

Buffalo is the US city nearest Ft. *Erie*, Ontario.

> 5. What city or town in another country """is""" nearest San Diego,
> California?

Tijuana, Mexico. 4 for everyone -- Bruce, Erland, Dan Blum, Pete,
and Dan Tilque.

> 6. What city or town in another country """is""" nearest
> Brazzaville, which """is""" in one of the two countries
> named Congo?

Kinshasa, in the other Congo. The two cities are the respective
national capitals. 4 for Erland, Dan Blum, Pete, and Dan Tilque.

> 7. What US city or town """is""" nearest St. Stephen, New Brunswick?

Calais ["KAL-uss"], Maine. 4 for Bruce and Dan Tilque.

> 8. What city or town """lies""" across a *state* boundary from
> Camden, New Jersey?

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 4 for Bruce, Dan Blum, Pete,
and Dan Tilque.

> 9. What other *country* """is""" nearest to the French city of Nice?

Monaco (not Italy; Nice is west of Monaco). 4 for Bruce, Erland,
Dan Blum, and Pete.

> 10. What *two other countries* """are""" adjacent to the Swiss
> city of Basel?

France and Germany. Basel is also spelled Bâle. 4 for Bruce,
Erland, and Pete.

Scores, if there are no errors:

GAME 10 ROUNDS-> 2 3 TOTALS
TOPICS-> Can Geo
Dan Blum 10 20 30
Bruce Bowler 0 30 30
Pete Gayde 0 29 29
Dan Tilque 0 28 28
Erland Sommarskog 0 28 28

Entrants who scored points in 2009 on that Canadiana round, by the
way, included Pete and Dan Tilque as well as Dan Blum.

--
Mark Brader | Caution
msb@vex.net | Do not run on the stairs
Toronto | Use the hand rail
-- notice at British train station

My text in this article is in the public domain.