Department of Finance Canada announced that implementation of the proposed capital-gains inclusion-rate change would be deferred to January 1, 2026.
The proposal would increase the inclusion rate from one-half to two-thirds for capital gains above a new $250,000 annual threshold for individuals, and for all capital gains realized by corporations and most trusts.
Finance Canada said the $250,000 annual threshold would protect individuals with modest capital gains. It gave the example of a couple selling a cottage with a $500,000 capital gain, where each spouse could use a $250,000 threshold.
The same policy package included the Canadian Entrepreneurs' Incentive, which would reduce the inclusion rate to one-third on a lifetime maximum of $2 million in eligible capital gains.
Combined with the new $1.25 million lifetime capital gains exemption, Finance Canada said entrepreneurs could be better off on eligible capital gains of up to $6.25 million once the incentive is fully rolled out.
The deferral mattered immediately because taxpayers, trusts, corporations, and advisers had been planning around a 2024 effective date. Moving the date to 2026 changed the timing of transactions, reporting, and tax instalment expectations.
The announcement did not cancel the proposed inclusion-rate increase. It reset the implementation date and preserved the broader policy package for a later start.