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QUESTION:
 
I have a car deduction question.

The car I had in the first part of 2002 got wrecked in an accident I had. I
had only one way insurance, I was at fault, so for this car that I paid
3500CAD when I bought I only got 250CAD after this accident.
 
My question is:

can I claim the 3250 difference? (for me it seems similar to repair costs,
it is as if I repaired the car and sold it with the repair costs).
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david ingram replies
 
This is an extremely complicated question and almost impossible to asnwer with this information but I will try:  I am assuming that you started the year with the $3,500 car.
 
1.    If the car was just a pleasure car, it is not deductible in any way, shape or manner.
 
2.    If the car was being used it in business, it is a class 10 asset which can be depreciated at 30%.  If you are still in business and you bought another car for say $5,000, your depreciation (CCA) schedule would be like this:
 
UCC start of 2002        $   3,500
Additions 2002                  5,000
Disposals 2002                     250
Less adjustment 2002         2,500
Available for CCA 2002      5,750
CCA (depreciation )rate          30%
Claimed 2002                     1,725
Carryforward to 2003     $   6,525 
 
In 2003, you would claim 30% of the $6,525 figure.
 
If you went out of business with the loss of the car, you would claim the $3,250 as a terminal loss on your tax return.
 
If you stayed in business but leased a new car, you would claim the $3,250 as a terminal loss on your T2124 form on your T1 return.
 
All the above presupposes that the car was used 100% for business.  If the car is a mixed use car, you would claim the percentage of the depreciation expense that the business use of the car represented of the total use of the car.
 
Hope this helps a bit.  Remember that the CEN-TA Group provides year round tax preparation services for individuals with car expenses.    
 
David Ingram - www.centa.com
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