[Barefoot]

Originally Posted by tkret

Canucks visit our country .... bring plenty of money to help our economy .... carry their own medical insurance .... reside peacefully alongside of us .... respect our laws and way of life ... don't rush over to the HHS office to sign up for monthly assistance .... don't ask to educate their kids ... and our Government demands that they vacate in 6 months or less .... and, oh by the way, please come back again and bring more cash. The Canucks may have loonies and toonies for a couple of their coins, but I think it's we who are the REAL "loonies" for treating our very best neighbors like this.

Thanks tkret, you are a real sweetheart.

[dkrhardy]

All true!

Barefoot - how close do they watch that 182 days?

Don & Kaz

[golf2140]

Originally Posted by Barefoot

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!

Barefoot,

Are the tax rates quoted correct!!!

[Barefoot]

Originally Posted by golf2140

Barefoot,

Are the tax rates quoted correct!!!

Here is a government link which lists income tax rates.
What are the income tax rates in Canada?

The goods and services rate varies by province. The Ontario HST rate is now 13%.

No question about it ... There is a huge cost to maintaining Canada's social programs, and a health-care system that is government funded.

[jane032657]

I am fortunate to be a dual citizen, American born, took out my Canadian citizenship to run for politics in BC, and then was allowed to be dual when I moved back to the US in December 2002. I am lucky as are my children who are all dual citizens. When I lived in BC, my tax rate was about 39%. Yes it was high, but my kids had fabulous medical coverage; they went to university in BC and I was able to put all three through university myself as it is much less expensive than university in the United States and a first class educational system. I will receive Canadian Pension of some amount for the 26 years I lived in British Columbia and worked. I also was the Executive Director of a myriad of large non profit organizations in BC and was always grateful to see my provincial and federal tax dollars at work supporting social programs. I never complained about my taxes and I do not complain in the US either. I feel that both countries provide a lot of programs, services, supports and infrastructure and the money does not fall from the trees. Do I think we could shuffle how money is spent? Yes, but we would still need taxes to support whatever programs, services and needs there are that government provides subsidizes. Just my opinion, no critique of anyone or any beliefs of anyone. Just my experience and good fortune to be a citizen of both Canada and the US and soon The Villlages. How lucky can one be in life?

[rubicon]

The sun sEntinel article talk about people who live in Quebec province and listed their tax at 43. 6%?????

[Barefoot]

Originally Posted by dkrhardy

Barefoot - how close do they watch that 182 days? Don & Kaz

Good question! I have no idea. But they do track Canadians' length of stay in the US. We show passports at border crossings.

Here is the scary part. Any time we cross into the US, the US Border Crossing Agent can decide the length of time we're allowed to stay in the US. It is at their absolute discretion. 182 days would be the maximum we'd be allowed. I've known Canadians who were told they could only stay 60 or 90 days.

If we were to stay longer than 182 days, and we were somehow "flagged" in the system, the next time we attempted to enter the US, we could be refused, for a year or two, or more. And then if we went to a different border crossing and tried to enter after being refused, we could be thrown in jail.

As Resident Aliens, Canadians are required to file a form each year with the US IRS stating the number of days we've spent in the US (maximum of 182). I think that lying to the IRS would have fairly serious consequences.

So we don't abuse the system or take any chances. And we bite our nails every Fall until we're safely in the US and headed for The Bubble. And we are extremely nice to the US Border Agents.

[hotrodgirl]

Jane, I thank you for your observations and feel you put your heart out there on the line! I appreciate your candor and am happy to have our North American neighbors join us here in the states and especially in TV! I lived abroad for a couple of years in Europe and was very well accepted and able to access medical care, education,etc. And it is a wonderful way to learn about other cultures and other ways of life. I am so grateful for that time I spent abroad as it confirmed my thirst of knowledge and love of my own country. You are indeed blessed to be able to carry dual citizenship!

[CFrance]

Originally Posted by tkret

Canucks visit our country .... bring plenty of money to help our economy .... carry their own medical insurance .... reside peacefully alongside of us .... respect our laws and way of life ... don't rush over to the HHS office to sign up for monthly assistance .... don't ask to educate their kids ... and our Government demands that they vacate in 6 months or less .... and, oh by the way, please come back again and bring more cash. The Canucks may have loonies and toonies for a couple of their coins, but I think it's we who are the REAL "loonies" for treating our very best neighbors like this.

Another thought, Bare... My husband worked for a trucking and logistics company which contracted to do business in Canada at one point. His first question to the Canadian colleagues was, How can we train our people to honor their relationship with your people? Their reply was, If they will realize that we are Canadians and not assume we are just Americans north of the border... We have our own history, traditions, society. A very good point, imo. Sometimes we Americans forget that. We're not the only ones here.

[mainlander]

Perhaps this is not the correct thread for my query, but I'll attempt it.
Can anyone(Canadian resident) shed some light on income derived from renting your TV home for Jan/Feb/Mar each year. Any thoughts on how it is treated both here and at home? Thanks... Randall

[Barefoot]

Originally Posted by mainlander

Can anyone(Canadian resident) shed some light on income derived from renting your TV home for Jan/Feb/Mar each year. Any thoughts on how it is treated both here and at home? Thanks... Randall

You need to pay Canadian tax on any earned income, no matter where in the world it is earned. Your US income from renting your home may well be taxable in the US as well. Depends on how much income you make in the US. If you pay tax in the US, you may be able to reduce the tax you pay in Canada by that amount ... that's a question for an accountant.

I assume you file a "Closer Connection Form" with the USA IRS every year. On that form they specifically ask about income earned in the US. It is one way they determine your resident alien status.

One reason we never rent out our US home is that we want to keep a low profile, and just hop quietly over the border for our six months in Paradise every year. We treasure our resident alien status. As a Canadian, we don't have a right to stay in the US for six months every year, it's a privilege.

[CaptJohn]

Originally Posted by Barefoot

I assume you file a "Closer Connection Form" with the USA IRS every year. On that form they specifically ask about income earned in the US. It is one way they determine your resident alien status.

I'm not sure in this particular instance but also check out the difference between 'earned income' and 'investment income' or other types. The way it's categorized may affect how or whether it has to be reported. An accountant that specializes in IRS is probably necessary to be sure.

[mainlander]

Thanks Barefoot and Capt. I appreciate your input. I would have thought that this subject would have been discussed many times, perhaps in past posts (I'll try again to tract them down, if they exist). Any other comments would be appreciated, Thanks again.

[Barefoot]

Originally Posted by mainlander

Thanks Barefoot and Capt. I appreciate your input. I would have thought that this subject would have been discussed many times, perhaps in past posts (I'll try again to tract them down, if they exist). Any other comments would be appreciated, Thanks again.

You are welcome Mainlander. But it's such a specialized area, that you really need to ask a tax accountant, and not rely on member information (including mine!) There are some good books at amazon.ca on all aspects of Canadian investments in the USA.