Alexander Marino is quoted in an article titled “Trump bump: U.S. citizenship renunciation inquiries surge in Canada, lawyers say” on CBC News, January 28, 2025.
Alexander Marino is quoted in an article titled “‘Scary’: Why US expats are tossing their citizenships – and it’s not just Trump” in The Sydney Morning Herald, November 1, 2024
Kenneth Keung is quoted in the Investment Executive article titled “Quirk in capital gains tax rules raises risks for incorporated clients,” published on July 24, 2024.
Kenneth Keung is quoted in the Investment Executive article titled “How should trusts flow out capital gains to beneficiaries in 2024?”, July 5, 2024.
Kim G C Moody, Kenneth Keung, and Christopher Ellett are quoted in the Investment Executive article titled “When is the latest clients can sell assets prior to June 25?”, published on May 17, 2024.
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T1135: 2013 transitional relief is permanent
In our blog “T1135 transitional guidance” we reported that the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) developed transitioning rules which were welcomed relief to taxpayers, but applied only to the 2013 tax year reporting period.
On July 8, 2014 the CRA announced that these T1135 transitioning rules will become permanent for 2014 and thereafter, but there are a few significant twists.
Amended IRS voluntary disclosure programs expand eligible taxpayers but create the Canadian snowbird dilemma: Part 1
On June 18, 2014, the IRS announced significant changes to its current offshore voluntary disclosure programs to ease the tax compliance burden for both residents and nonresidents of the United States who are not compliant with their US tax filing obligations. Additionally, the IRS announced new procedures for delinquent FBAR (FinCEN Form 114) or information return (e.g., forms required to report ownership of foreign trusts, controlled foreign corporations, passive foreign investment companies, etc.) submissions. Links to all the revised procedures are accessible from here. These new changes generally clarify and expand the class of individuals eligible for the IRS’s streamlined filing compliance procedures and make the current offshore voluntary disclosure program (OVDP) even more burdensome than it already is. Yet, these changes also pose many new questions and, like any new administrative program, it is uncertain how these changes will be implemented by the IRS in practice.
Five things Canadians need to know before selling US real estate
With the Canadian dollar weakening and the price of US real estate rising, many Canadians who have previously purchased US real estate may now be tempted to sell. Those who purchased after the epic US real estate meltdown may walk away with a hefty profit. However, it is important for every Canadian who is considering selling US real estate to be aware of certain key US and Canadian tax issues in order to avoid getting mired with potentially disastrous consequences. The following are the five key tax issues for a Canadian resident planning to sell personally-owned US real estate, assuming the individual is not a US citizen or otherwise a US person (a determination which is surprisingly complex).
What is so civil about penalties, anyway?
When it comes to tax law, governments have two main arrows in their quiver: governments require taxpayers to pay taxes that are assessed on the basis of income or other factors (such as specific transactions, use of certain resources, etc.) and also require that taxpayers file a number of forms and documents. The primary purpose of these documents is, at least theoretically, to ensure that a taxpayer is complying with all payment obligations, not to independently generate revenue.
But sometimes the reporting horse comes unhitched from the revenue cart.
FATCA – A Canadian perspective / commentary
As many of you know, our firm has been very active in the “FATCA” space. A quick review of our last 10 blogs or so (which you may read by clicking here) should be obvious of that. Much of our activity has been ensuring that our clients and friends are ready when the July 1, 2014 implementation date arrives. In addition, we have been very active in responding and providing commentary to Canada’s draft legislation, which is necessary to give effect to the inter-governmental agreement (“IGA”) between Canada and the US that was signed by both countries in early February 2014.
However, the purpose of this short blog is not to further analyze the horrendously complex underpinnings of FATCA (which is US law), the IGA, the draft Canadian implementing legislation and the soon-to-be released Canadian guidance notes, but instead comment on some of the criticism that has flooded the “interwebs” regarding FATCA, the various Intergovernmental Agreements (“IGAs”) and specifically, Canada’s legislation.
It’s high time – provisions should be read narrowly: Lehigh
On April 23, 2014, the Federal Court of Appeal (the “FCA”) released its decision in The Queen v Lehigh Cement Limited (“Lehigh”). The lower Court’s decision employed a broad interpretation of the anti-avoidance rule which surprised many practitioners and may have had wider implication to the interpretation of other specific anti-avoidance rules in the Act. On the appeal, the FCA revisited the issue and found that a narrow reading of the provision at issue was more appropriate. A textual focus in interpreting anti-avoidance provisions will give certainty to tax planners as they design their plans around these specific rules. However, a narrow interpretation of specific anti-avoidance provisions could increase the CRA’s reliance on the GAAR resulting in more GAAR reassessments for taxpayers.
Alexander Marino is quoted in an article titled “Trump bump: U.S. citizenship renunciation inquiries surge in Canada, lawyers say” on CBC News, January 28, 2025.
Alexander Marino is quoted in an article titled “‘Scary’: Why US expats are tossing their citizenships – and it’s not just Trump” in The Sydney Morning Herald, November 1, 2024
Kenneth Keung is quoted in the Investment Executive article titled “Quirk in capital gains tax rules raises risks for incorporated clients,” published on July 24, 2024.
Kenneth Keung is quoted in the Investment Executive article titled “How should trusts flow out capital gains to beneficiaries in 2024?”, July 5, 2024.
Kim G C Moody, Kenneth Keung, and Christopher Ellett are quoted in the Investment Executive article titled “When is the latest clients can sell assets prior to June 25?”, published on May 17, 2024.
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