International Tax Evasion

A globally coordinated day of action to put a stop to the suspected facilitation of offshore tax evasion has been undertaken this week across the United Kingdom (UK), United States (US), Canada, Australia and the Netherlands.

The action occurred as part of a series of investigations in multiple countries into an international financial institution located in Central America, whose products and services are believed to be facilitating money laundering and tax evasion for customers across the globe.

It is believed that through this institution a number of clients may be using a sophisticated system to conceal and transfer wealth anonymously to evade their tax obligations and launder the proceeds of crime.

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John Richardson Form T1135

This post has been submitted by Toronto, Canada lawyer John Richardson and is about the recent Moore Case in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Mr. Richardson states “It is a great example of taxpayer victory in resisting the draconian and unreasonable Form T1135 penalties in Canada.”

The taxpayer was employed by GE Capital Canada and participated in their employer sponsored share purchase plan as provided by the company. When GE Capital Canada was acquire by Wells Fargo Canada this ended the taxpayers participation in the share purchase plan. Mr Moore was given the option to sell his shares or place them into a Canadian Brokerage firm. He chose the brokerage firm. It was only after this change that he learned he should be filing a Form T1135.

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Canada Flag

A Federal Court in Ottawa on Monday dismissed the latest legal effort by two dual Canadian/U.S. citizens to block Canada’s implementation of the U.S.’s Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, dealing a blow to thousands of Americans with dual citizenship and consequent tax obligations not just in Canada but, supporters of the plaintiffs argue, around the world.

Monday’s ruling, by Federal Court of Canada Justice Anne Mactavish, was the latest in a series of court setbacks for opponents of FATCA since the tax-information-gathering law came into force around the world in 2014, and comes some six months after a five-day trial in the matter, which took place in Vancouver in late January and early February.

The ruling also comes just three days after a French court decided in favor of allowing France’s FATCA implementation regime to stand.  As reported, that decision sparked a social media storm on the part of Americans with dual nationality in France as well as abroad.

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Tax Question

NOTE: TaxConnections often receives questions from taxpayers living around the world. This question came in recently and we ask our members how they would answer their three questions.

TaxConnections Members – Please go to the Ask Tax Questions Section and Answer the question there. If you are currently a member just Login to your Tax Professional Member Account. Once you answer their questions, it will be sent directly to them by email. You will be connected as they are searching for a Tax Advisor to to help them as well. TaxConnections also promotes you our our Home Page every time you answer a tax question from one of our site visitors.

QUESTION

My spouse and I are Canadian citizens and are currently visiting China. Although we are not residents of China, we are planning to stay here for a minimum of 3 to 4 years before returning to Canada. During these years living outside Canada, we are planning to file our income tax as a non-resident. We don’t have any significant residential ties to Canada (i.e. we don’t own a home or vehicle in Canada, nor do we have any dependents living in Canada.) For secondary residential ties, the only tie that we currently have is a bank account with RBC, TD and money is sitting in Meridian Credit Union high interest saving accounts. We are still using our Canadian Credit Cards while visiting China.

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John-Richardson- Investigating the Transition Tax

From The “Pax Americana” To The “Tax Americana”

This is the ninth in my series of posts about the Sec. 965 Transition Tax and whether/how it applies to the small business corporations owned by taxpaying residents of other countries (who may also have U.S. citizenship). These small business corporations are in no way “foreign”. They are certainly “local” to the resident of another country who just happens to have the misfortune of being a U.S. citizen.

Introduction – The purpose of this post is …

to demonstrate that the “transition tax” is an example (particularly egregious) of the principle that (1) not only does the United States impose “worldwide taxation” on the “tax residents” of other countries, but  (2) it imposes a separate tax regime on certain “tax residents” of other countries that is different and far more punitive than the regime imposed on Homeland Americans. Yes, you read correctly!

It is the “Tax Americana”– a “form” (no pun intended) of an “empire” which is colonizing other countries through taxation.

A recent and most important example of the “Tax Americana” is the “transition tax” : A U.S. resident who has undistributed earnings in a U.S. corporation will NOT be subjected to the “transition tax”. A Canadian resident who has undistributed earnings in a Canadian corporation will be subjected to the “transition tax”!

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John-Richardson- Investigating the Transition Tax

This small business thought it was saving to invest in business expansion – Wrong, they were saving to be robbed by America!

This is the eighth in my series of posts about the Sec. 965 Transition Tax and whether/how it applies to the small business corporations owned by taxpaying residents of other countries (who may also have U.S. citizenship). These small business corporations are in no way “foreign”. They are certainly “local” to the resident of another country who just happens to have the misfortune of being a U.S. citizen. Read More

Grant Gilmour Books And Records Kept Outside Of Canada

Is a non-resident corporation that is registered for a Goods and Services Tax/Harmonized Sales Tax (GST/HST) account with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) required to keep records and books of account in Canada?

The Canadian Income Tax Act (ITA) requires everyone who registers for a GST/HST account to keep records and books of account in Canada in either English or French. However, CRA does allow the books and records to be kept outside of Canada in some circumstances. Read More

Canada, Transition Tax, John Richardson, non-US residents, tax laws

This is the fourth in my series of posts about the Sec. 965 Transition Tax and whether/how it applies to the small business corporations owned by tax paying residents of other countries (who may also have U.S. citizenship). These small business corporations are in no way “foreign”. They are certainly “local” to the resident of another country who just happens to have the misfortune of being a U.S. citizen.

Last night I was discussing the “transition tax” with an “individual” who is impacted by the tax AND is a Homeland American. He is a “tax resident” of ONLY the United States. For Homeland Americans who are subject to ONLY the U.S. tax system the “transition tax” is NOT a bad thing. Read More

Canada, Transition Tax, John Richardson

This is the third in my series of posts about the Sec. 965 Transition Tax and whether/how it applies to the small business corporations owned by tax paying residents of other countries (who may also have U.S. citizenship). These small business corporations are in no way “foreign”. They are certainly “local” to the resident of another country who just happens to have the misfortune of being a U.S. citizen.

Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it Read More

John-Richardson- Americans Abroad, Transition Tax, IRC Section 965, Canada,

The possible use of the Canada U.S. tax treaty to defeat the “transition tax”

Beginning with the conclusion (for those who don’t want to read the post)

For the reasons given in this post, I believe that there are grounds to argue that the imposition of the Sec. 965 “transition tax” on Canadian resident/citizens DOES violate the Canada U.S. tax treaty. It is my hope that this post will generate some badly needed discussion on this issue. Read More

transition tax, americans abroad, expatriate, canada

“This legislation is being interpreted by a number of tax professionals to mean that individual U.S. citizens living outside the United States are required to simply “fork over” a percentage of the value of their small business corporations to the IRS. Although technically “CFCs” these companies are certainly NOT foreign to the people who use them to run businesses that are local to their country of residence. Furthermore, the “culture” of Canadian Controlled Private Corporations is that they are actually used as “private pension plans”. So, an unintended consequence of the Tax Cuts Jobs Act would be that individuals living in Canada are somehow required to collapse their pension plans and turn the proceeds over to the U.S. government” Read More

Grant Gilmour, Speculation Tax, Canadian Tax Help

What Is The Speculation Tax?

The 2018 budget released by the B.C. Government introduced a new tax on Real Estate effective in the 2018 tax year called Speculation Tax.

Real estate prices in B.C. have increased substantially in the last couple of years and there is increased interest and ownership of B.C. real estate by foreign parties. The speculation tax has been introduced by the B.C. Government as an attempt to help address this. The speculation tax is designed to target foreign and domestic home owners in B.C. who hold non-owner occupied properties which are not qualifying long-term rental properties. This tax will initially apply to homes in Metro Vancouver Regional District (excluding Bowen Island), the Capital Regional District (excluding the Gulf Islands), Chilliwack, Abbotsford, Mission, Nanaimo, Lantzville, Kelowna and West Kelowna.

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