non-resident tax question

Hi all,

New member, McBrowntrout, here. I am a resident of Australia (dual citizenship), and I recently sold a house in Canada (inherited when my father passed away). I am a non-resident for tax purposes in Canada - haven't lived there since mid-2000 - and am a bit confused about the tax obligations I may have. Currently, my lawyer has withheld a chunk of cash, and submitted the Certificate of Clearance, as well as a valuation for any capital gains - important to note that I will be able to report a capital loss, as we sold for less than it was valued at.

While I haven't heard back from Revenue Canada yet, my lawyer informs me that I should be starting to fill out a non-resident tax return form in order to claim things like sale commissions, legal fees, etc... This is where I am a bit confused. I don't know: what the form is, what I can claim, how a rebate / tax credits might work (given that I live in Oz), what effect a capital loss will have on the situation. Basically, I just want to get it right so I'm not chased down later by either country. I know Canada and Oz have a tax treaty, but again, don't know much about how this works. If anyone can help out, or point me in the right direction (i.e. to a good accountant that can sort this for me),that would be fantastic!

Hi

I am a Canadian CGA and UK chartered accountant and chartered tax adviser. My main area of practice is helping expats with cross border tax issues. I can help with your Canadian T1 filing to report your property sales.

For further information visit my website at www.uknats.com

e-mail me at kmlynch@btinternet.com. Phone UK 44 1782 444 256

I am a Los Angeles based Attorney and CPA practicing in the area of cross-border taxes. My firm handles cross-border Canada-Australian tax matters. Feel free to reach me through this site if you need assistance with your Canadia and/or Australian tax filings. We prepare tax filings for both countries.