GOVERNMENT TAX CREDITS FOR HOMEOWNERS AND POTENTIAL HOMEOWNERS.

To stimulate economic growth and encourage Canadians to invest in improvements to their homes, Budget 2009 proposes to introduce a temporary HOME RENOVATION TAX CREDIT (HRTC). The HRTC will provide meaningful tax relief to help Canadian homeowners make improvements to their property while promoting broad-based economic activity. The design elements of the HRTC are described below.

Individuals will be able to claim a percent nonrefundable tax credit for eligible expenditures made in respect of eligible dwellings.

The credit will apply to expenditures in excess of $1,000, but not more than $10,000, resulting in a maximum credit of $1,350 ($9,000 x 15%).

The credit will apply only to the 2009 taxation year. Expenditures for work performed, or goods acquired, after January 27, 2009 and before February 1, 2010, will be eligible for the credit.

The HOME BUYERS PLAN (HBP) allows first-time home buyers to withdraw amounts from a Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) to purchase or build a home without having to pay tax on the withdrawal. Budget 2009 proposes to increase the HBP withdrawal limit to $25,000 from $20,000.

Budget 2009 proposes to introduce a new nonrefundable tax credit based on an amount of $5,000 for FIRST TIME BUYERS who acquire a qualifying home after January 27, 2009 (i.e. the closing is after that date). The credit for a taxation year will be calculated by reference to the lowest personal income tax rate for the year and is claimable for the taxation year in which the home is acquired.

An individual will be considered a first-time home buyer if neither the individual nor the individual’s spouse or common-law partner owned and lived in another home in the calendar year of the home purchase or in any of the four preceding calendar years. A qualifying home is one that is currently eligible for the Home Buyers’ Plan that the individual or individual’s spouse or common-law partner intends to occupy as the principal place of residence not later than one year after its acquisition

For more information go to:

http://www.budget.gc.ca/2009/plan/bpa5a-eng.asp#1

or call: 1-800-622-6232

So are you sick and tired of hearing about how bad the economy is? How about the great opportunities that our area has to offer? The Windsor Real Estate Board along with the Windsor Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Home Builder's association has put together a fabulous campaign promoting “Windsor Essex 100 Mile Peninsula" an active retirement destination. The mission of this campaign is to attract investment, create new jobs and revitalize the real estate market.

We have:
- Over 100 miles of shoreline stretching from Wheatley to Lighthouse Cove
-world class estate wineries
-Carolinian forests
-Many top rated golf courses
-a moderate "southern" climate and we get to experience all 4 seasons
-16 conservation areas and over 3000 acres of green space
-fabulous restaurants
-beautiful parks and miles of fitness trails
-proximity to an international border
-the most affordable housing and real estate market in the country
- and of course the nicest and friendliest people you could ever imagine

We must send a message that we are implementing change, diversifying our economy and we are working together to encourage non-traditional economic development - to attract, retain and welcome, with open arms the 50 plus market! Healthy, active, and affluent - pre-retired, semi-retired and fully retired. The boomers, now referred to as zoomers.

We are all stakeholders in the future of Windsor and Essex County. Promoting our active retirement lifestyle is a big step in the right direction. We need to be ambassadors of our region.

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John Holt

Doubt is a pain too lonely to know that faith is his twin brother.
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Forgiving is not forgetting; it's actually remembering--remembering and not using your right to hit back. It's a second chance for a new beginning. And the remembering part is particularly important. Especially if you don't want to repeat what happened.
Desmond Tutu

People often overestimate what will happen in the next two years and underestimate what will happen in ten.
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We've got this gift of love, but love is like a precious plant. You can't just accept it and leave it in the cupboard or just think it's going to get on by itself. You've got to keep watering it. You've got to really look after it and nurture it.
John Lennon (1940-1980) Musician