Hi guys - Long time reader - First time poster (always wanted to say that)
I hoping to tap some of your experience to assist me in my upcoming decision.
I am a Test Engineer in the Electronics industry and at present I am swithering over a potential job opportunity in Canada - Now one thing which I am unsure about is Taxes etc. and how they affect my Salary.
For example at home here in Scotland by the time I pay taxes and National Insurance my take home pay is approximately 75% of my total salary.
Now when considering my salary for a job in Canada I want to be aware of any taxes etc. that I have to contend with as oppose to merely converting my current salary to Canadian dollars. As this could work against me in 2 ways - either pricing myself out of the move or under valuing myself.
Any help would be much appreciated

good question, i took a job in canada thinking the gross income sounded amazing ...til i got the first paycheque...take home =about 67% of gross.
the actual fed tax alone isn't that bad but total tax payable is broken down into compulsory benefits, pension(s), union dues, emp.insurance etc
also purchase prices don't include tax so add about 15% to what they quote except alberta province is only about 7-8% extra.
your net income-expense ratio will be higher than the uk = greater buying power

There is a great website at www.taxcalcs.com which allows you to enter your salary and it shows you the total net, considering all CPP/Unemployment deductions as well. Taxes vary by province a lot. One tax that doesn't show here is the sales tax which is 7% Federal GST but does vary by province (for example in Ontario it is 8% and in Alberta 0). Notice also on CPP there is a maximum and the overall contribution rate is a lot lower than the UK National Insurance.
Whatever you do, just don't convert the UK money you make into Canadian $ and conclude that is what you need. I know people that would make around 25GBP in the UK and while that would convert to about $60k Canadian in reality if you make about $35k you will have the same (and in a lot of ways better) standard of living based on spending power.
I am sure there are other views and opinions, however this is based on my experience.

Something to think about...........When I moved to canada thought that the Taxes wouldn't be a problem but when you have to fill out your canadian tax return they take into account your "world income". This means when you first move out you will be taxed(again) on your earnings in Scotland!!:scared:

Its a real pain.... Good luck.

You might want to check your tax situation out in a bit more detail.
The way it should work is that when you left the UK you only pay taxes while you were a resident there for the period of the tax year you were there (April to April)-- as a matter of fact if you left midyear you could send in your P45 with a P50 and perhaps even have got a refund as you are only liable for tax while you are there.

When you come to Canada and start working, you only pay tax on what you earn while you are a resident here. There is a definite cut between the 2 so I don't know why your world income would come into play. When you do your tax return all of the deductions / allowances are prorated to reflect the amount of time you are in the country.

World income only applies if, for example, you were living in Canada working and still earning money in Scotland as well. Then you would have to add up your world income. If this is not the case you would not be taxed twice on the same income.

I hope this made some sense.

Hey there,
Have lived in Canada for several years now. On the personal taxation front I would say that they are a decent bit higher than in the UK...certainly I get a lot less than 75% of my income, and I am by no means well paid. As has already been said a lot of the taxes are other deductions.
not sure what you're income is in the UK, but I have to say that from my personal experience my standard of living here is pretty similar to the UK, though that might be because I live Vancouver so have city living costs. The cost of living is cheaper in a direct comparison, but then the wages also tend to be lower.
Thats the way things worked out for me anyway.
Cheers

Well thank you so much. Did check out the tax thing and the people we got to do it for us were wrong! Took it into H and R block(they were excellent) and not only did we get a nice rebate this yr but should get a rebate for the mess up last yr. So thanks been able to go snowboarding an extra few times!!!! The drinks are on me

Did H&R Blocks charge loads for that though if you don't mind me asking???

Don't know whether u got private message? It cost $60 which was good as the rebate comes within 3 weeks ands they check last years return for free.