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Originally Posted by rubicon
An article taken from the "Money" Section of the Sun Sentinel June 24, 2012 reports that some 86,000 Canadians most from Montreal are moving to South Florida and Florida in general permanently to avoid taxes. The article reported that a Canadian making in excess of $80,200 was now subject to 46% in taxes. Apparently in the Quebec Province the sales tax exceeds 15% A financial planner who helps Canadian transplants says you can't go 10 feet down Hollywood Beach without hearing a french accent. The article also concluded that the 86,000 number would be more than doubled if you consider properties purchased through corporations, trust or partnerships.
I would like to hear from Canadians their point of view concerning this article its accuracy, causes, etc. Finally given that Canadians are required to live in Canada for six monts of the year in order to stay qualified for their national health care how this qualification is affected?
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A bit of clarification Rubicon. Firstly, your statement that Canadians must live in Canada for six months of the year to qualify for national health care is not quite correct. Each province has it's own rules. For instance, in Ontario, we have OHIP, which requires that you can be out of the province for seven months and still qualify for provincial health care. Some provinces allow you to travel for eight months, and others, six months.
Secondly, Canadians cannot just decide to live and work in the US. They must go through a qualification process and obtain a work permit, and demonstrate they possess an essential skill. I had a Green Card many years ago, and it wasn't an easy process.
There is currently no such thing as a Retiree Visa. While we would love to stay longer in Florida where we own a home, currently the US Government dictates that we are only allowed to stay in the US for a maximum of 182 days in a calendar year. We are deemed "resident aliens". Don't get me wrong, we're grateful for 182 days!