Gozit

It was a vague comment, don't worry I didn't make too much sense of it either that was just my first instinctual thought that came of it.

JonboyE

I think that link is a little misleading. Looking further into HMRC's manuals RDRM23050 states,"A domicile of choice is acquired by the combination of physical presence in a territory as an actual inhabitant of it and the intention to remain there permanently or indefinitely,"

An example HMRC gives is of someone posted abroad for work who expects to retire in the UK. If their domicile of origin was in England before they were posted abroad it will remain in England however long long they live overseas. If that is 30 or 40 years no matter.

The old advice was to buy a burial plot in Canada as evidence of your intention to die here.

Inheritance Tax is an issue for British Expats as there is no IT in Canada. Here an individual is taxed on the deemed disposition of their capital assets just before death. As there is no IT here there is no foreign tax credit available. There is a potential for double taxation.

The new advice, if IT could be an issue, is not to do anything that would suggest a return to the UK is contemplated.

I don't know how HMRC will interpret being an overseas voter. They will make their decision based on facts but the onus is for the person claiming a domicile of choice to prove their claim. I try and avoid giving them any facts to disprove my claim.

Steve_

Wasn't there a case where someone had their ashes scattered in the UK and HMRC decided they were domiciled?

Anyway the short answer is the more ties you have to the UK the more likely you are to be taxed there so it's not a good idea to register to vote there imo.

In reality if you live in Canada and are also a Canadian citizen it is very unlikely to ever be a problem because of Article 4 of the tax treaty. If you lived somewhere where the UK had no tax treaty I'd be a bit more nervous about it.

But why chance it, I can't see the point. It's just a boring conversation with HMRC you can avoid by not bothering to do something.

Where you are registered to vote has a bearing on your "centre of vital interests" but if you're registered to vote in both places that effectively negates it as an issue.

Note that HMRC has long and lengthy guides on how to figure out residency and domicile in the UK for tax purposes which generally neglect to mention tax treaties, which the UK has with most countries. And the residency rule in the tax treaty overrides most if not all of the guidance HMRC spent ages putting into those PDFs.

Ditto for the CRA.

Steve_

I never really understand why people are scared of Selective Service registration, without question Canada would just call up people using their SIN if it was ever considered necessary. It's just a pointless bureaucracy in the US, a place that has many pointless bureaucracies.

As for taxes it is more complex than that because the US considers things like ISAs and TFSAs to be foreign trusts and thus subject to not only taxation in the US but very complex reporting requirements, relative of mine just ran into this problem. US citizen who lives in the UK.

It is a major paper chase filling in Form 2555 and Form 1116 every year (and often you have to file multiple 1116s).

Because the tax year is different and the currency is different and in addition the UK likes to hide taxes, you have to calculate what your income is for a calendar year in USD prior to being taxed. Which sounds simple but it's not, because the tax year in the UK has yet to end so figuring the gross income can be tricky. You can't work out the Federal Foreign Tax Credit until you do. The UK for example withholds 20% income tax from bank interest.

As for renouncing citizenship, takes a year to get an appointment and the fee is $2,350, which I think the State Dept. based on the going rate to get an accountant to do your 2555 and 1116s for you.

JonboyE

The tax treaty is not really relevant to inheritance tax because:

a) It deals with residence, and inheritance tax is assessed on the basis of domicile, not residence.

b) It deals with income or profits taxes, not inheritance or estate Taxes.

SarahBC

I'm voting in the EU referendum for sure. I registered to vote in the 2014 General Election.
The EU has long annoyed me and I'm relishing the possibility that Britain could be given a chance to leave.
I'm still safe with the 15 year rule.
Cheers,
Sarah

Almost Canadian

I have said this numerous times before but...

I believe you will find that most of the laws you believe are "beneficial" to workers in the UK are EU laws.

Out of interest, what is it about the EU that annoys you?

SarahBC

I could go on and on but some of my key criticisms of the EU:

- It has created greatest benefit for the founding members.

- It has allowed idiotic policies such as the CAP to endure.

- It has spread from being an economic mechanism to a socio-political behemoth that wasn't what was imagined when the UK entered the EEC

- It has turned our commitment to social welfare into a magnet for citizens of less developed EU member states.

I am also sceptical that the eventual referendum will be a simple in or out vote.

BritInParis

The question is set in the relevant Act of Parliament. It cannot be changed.

“Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?”

European Union Referendum Act 2015

BristolUK

I was just going to make a smartarse comment about a 'yes' or 'no' answer not being a clear vote.

But then I read the answers to be selected:
“Remain a member of the European Union"
"Leave the European Union”.

Almost Canadian

I have no issue with your comment about CAP. The economic/socio-political issue came about as a result of treaty changes, which, you may recall, the UK had an involvement with a had a veto over.

The two highlighted comments appear somewhat contradictory to me.

jimf

Maybe things are going against Team Goldman Sachs but no doubt they can deploy the resources to win the vote in the end.

The EU's back is against the wall. It won't go down without a dirty fight - Telegraph

jimf

Keep on talking David......

Watch: David Lammy says a million Indians died in WWII fighting for the 'European project' - Spectator Blogs

Novocastrian

Link please, because that's not my impression.

To the benefit of UK farmers.

Well it was really, check your dates. Although I'm not sure what a socio-political behemoth is in contrast to a community.

Really? Then how come almost all of the recent wave of refugees go to Germany or Sweden?

It will. But it will be decided upon uneducated polemics rather than rationality.

jimf

Various opinions/.....

Cameron’s EU deal: the verdict from our panel | Matthew d’Ancona, Daniel Hannan, Tom Clark and Natalie Nougayrède | Opinion | The Guardian