debbiem

no sin or resident tax paid here for the four years we owned two different properties in canada (neither of which were our principal residence). canadian govt entirely happy to recognise our status as british citizens and tax residents and collect our non res tax returns.

even living in canada with the brit mil, and owning a house here that was rented out, we still completed non res tax resturns and were considered ordinarily resident oin the uk for tax purposes.

it was only when we actually landed (flagpoled whilst still here with the brit mil) that our status changed to tax resident and we asked the tenants to move out so that we could use it as our principal residence. hence we became tax resident (and started clocking time on pr - we were still unsure whether we would be posted or stay). so that year we filed two tax returns - one non res until the landing date, one resident after that.

difficult to prove intent to leave after you've landed with a house and kids at school, and two jobs. which is why it was nonsensical for us to think that popping back to the uk for a couple of weeks to bank the gratuity was anything other than a fairly pointless tax evasion attempt.

but owning a property in canada just means you have to file a non res tax return. it doesn't make you resident in any sense. it's the cumulative nonsense that complicates it (like actually living here), not a house. a house means diddly squat in isolation.

totally random argument anyway, as he hasn't got one yet.