CIFC Reviews Questions

Interest income distribution is a type of income that a mutual fund pays to its investors from the interest earned on its fixed-income investments, such as bonds and mortgages. Interest income distribution is taxed as ordinary income at the investor’s top marginal tax rate, which is the highest tax rate that applies to their income bracket. Therefore, B is the correct answer. References: Interest Income and Taxes - Fidelity, Topic No. 403, Interest Received | Internal Revenue Service

Whether the couple saves on income tax will be dependent on Minu’s marginal tax rate. Pension income splitting is a tax planning strategy that allows a spouse or common-law partner who receives eligible pension income to allocate up to 50% of that income to their spouse or common-law partner1. This may result in tax savings if the transferring spouse or common-law partner is in a higher tax bracket than the receiving spouse or common-law partner1. The tax savings depend on the difference between the marginal tax rates of the spouses or common-law partners1. The other statements are incorrect. Minu will not be exposed to a pension adjustment (PA) if she receives income from Saheed’s pension. A PA is a measure of the value of benefits accrued in a registered pension plan or deferred profit sharing plan during a calendar year2. It reduces the RRSP contribution room of the plan member, not the spouse or common-law partner who receives part of their pension income2. Pension income splitting is not a form of tax evasion and is not illegal based on income tax legislation. It is a legitimate way to reduce taxable income and taxes payable by shifting income from a higher-income spouse or common-law partner to a lower-income spouse or common-law partner1. Pension income splitting may change the total amount of income taxes paid by the couple, depending on their marginal tax rates. If the transferring spouse or common-law partner is in a higher tax bracket than the receiving spouse or common-law partner, pension income splitting may lower their combined taxes payable1. However, if they are in the same tax bracket, pension income splitting may not have any effect on their taxes payable1. References: Pension income splitting, Pension adjustment

The current yield of a bond is the annual interest payment divided by the current market price of the bond. The annual interest payment is the coupon rate multiplied by the par value of the bond. In this case, the annual interest payment is:

6.75%×10,000=675

The current market price of the bond is $9,200. Therefore, the current yield is:

9200675​×100%=7.34%

The current yield is higher than the coupon rate because the bond is selling at a discount, meaning that its market price is lower than its par value. This implies that the bond is offering a higher return than the prevailing market interest rate. However, the current yield does not take into account the capital gain or loss that will occur when the bond matures or is sold. A more accurate measure of the bond’s return is the yield to maturity (YTM), which is the annualized rate of return that accounts for both the interest payments and the price change of the bond over its remaining term.

References:

• Canadian Investment Funds Course (CIFC) Study Guide, Chapter 5: Fixed-Income Securities, Section 5.2: Bond Pricing and Yield, page 5-61
• Current Yield Definition - Investopedia2

A mutual fund trust is a type of unit trust that meets certain conditions under the Canadian Income Tax Act and is eligible for favourable tax treatment. A unit trust is a collective investment vehicle that holds assets and distributes profits to individual unit owners, also called unitholders, instead of reinvesting them in the fund. A mutual fund trust is not a corporation and does not have a board of directors or shareholders. It is also not a closed-end fund, which has a fixed number of shares that trade on an exchange. A mutual fund trust is an open-end fund, which can issue and redeem units at any time based on the net asset value of the fund.

References: Canadian Investment Funds Course, Unit 5, Section 5.1