Should I Stay or Should I GO

I see that many other Canadians are also suffering from homesickness, integration, culture and a host of other American issues.

I have lived in Florida for 8 years, I'm originally from Toronto. I too am suffering. I am struggling with the idea of moving back "Home". The problem is that I can find good and bad in both places. My latest lament is that my kids (16mths) will not have easy access to family if I stay in the U.S. Not that I saw a lot of my family when I lived "next door", but being so far away limits family interaction to a couple of times a year.

I fear that a move back will put me in financial hardship, the taxes are just so high. Do I think this because I have experienced the lower taxes in the U.S.? What about health care, I get excellent care immediately in the U.S. (of course my company pays for coverage). I just witnessed the crumbling health care system in Canada while on vacation.

Anyone else having these issues? Anyone found resolve with their decision to stay or go?

J

I duno why people bitch about the tax rates in Canada, I know ppl in the states who are paying the same or more!

Here's the federal + provincial income tax brackets in Ontario:

first $33,375 22.05% first $32,183 22.05%

over $32,183 up to $32,435 28.05%
over $33,375 up to $35,000 25.15%
over $32,435 up to $64,368 31.15%
over $35,000 up to $66,752 31.15%
over $64,368 up to $64,871 35.15%
over $66,752 up to $70,000 33.16%
over $64,871 up to $104,648 37.16%
over $70,000 up to $113,804 37.16%
over $113,804 40.16%
over $104,648 40.16%


I've heard Americans telling me that they've heard our income taxes are like 50% up to 70%, where the hell they get those numbers I have no idea, but even the highest tax bracket is not that much!

Where I'm movign to in North Carolina, the state income tax is:

North Carolina state taxes at a glance:
Tax Rate Range: Low - 6.0%; High - 8.25%
Income Brackets: Lowest - $12,750; Highest - $120,000
Number of Brackets: 4
Standard Deduction: Single - $3,000; Married filing Jointly - $5,000
Medical/Dental Deduction: Federal amount
Federal Income Tax Deduction: None

and the federal tax (for tax year 2003, couldn't find 2004)

Single

$0 $7,000 $0.00 10%
$7,000 $28,400 $700.00 15%
$28,400 $68,800 $3,910.00 25%
$68,800 $143,500 $14,010.00 28%
$143,500 $311,950 $34,926.00 33%
$311,950 -- 35%

so once you add the state & federal tax it would seem about the same. And in the US, our tax dollars are not paying for medical care, we have to pay it ourselves. (not everyone is lucky enough to have a job that pays for coverage! ) I think we get a far better deal in Canada, even in Ontario where the medicare is falling apart We can still go out of province for treatment if we need to, and OHIP will pay for it. I know there are horror stories, but I have yet to have any difficulties with receiving treatment myself for anything. And I've needed surgery 2ce in my life! Fertility treatments are slow, but I believe they are in the US as well, there's just more couples who are looking for it than there are treatment centres.

If I get a job in NC that pays the same as the last job I had here in Ontario (not bloody likely, but hey, for arguments sake!) I will be paying about the same in income taxes. And have fewer government benefits.

If I had my druthers I'd stay right here in Canada, but Canadian immigration won't let my husband in, so I have no choice but to move to the US if I want to be with him, which obviously I do, or I wouldn't have married him

Hi There,
I am no longer in the US but I did move from Toronto to San Francisco, where I lived for seven years. We (my husband, daughter and I) now all live in Scotland.
Personally I wanted to leave the US for many reasons most having to do with the stressful lifestyle we had there.
I don't have a lot of advice but I just wanted to say that I understand how you are feeling because my 14 month old was born here in Scotland and our families have seen her twice in her life. We are now considering a move back to Toronto to be closer to family. Though they are no longer there they will be closer than now while we are in the UK!
I never had any qualms about the amount of taxes I had to pay in Canada and at least I felt like I was getting something for those taxes i.e. health care. I never had a positive experience with health care in the US and we had to pay for it as well.
I think that a big move like that has to be made for more than just family. Not that that isn't important but you need to consider what you want for your life and your children. It's why I am having a difficult time deciding whether we really want to go back or not.
Anyways, just wanted to say I understand what you are going through!
Michelle

We are planning our return to the north precisely because of our children. A childhood in Canada has small, but important differences than those in the US. Being raised and living in a country that values peace and tolerance must have significant effect on all of us. To me, that outweighs tax benefits.

Just a thought.

Yogi.

We made the move back from Colorado.
There were the usual good and bad
things. Costs are less, so are expenses.
Taxes are more. I still look at job
postings in far away lands with huge
tax-free salaries. Haven't won the
lottery either.

So it's been 2 years since I asked the "Should I stay or Should I go" (Yes I am a fan of the Clash too) question.

As it stands, we are staying in the U.S. however we won't be staying in the Shake 'n Bake Hurricane belt for much longer. Five storms in 3 seasons is wearing on me. And this year's season has just started to get buzy.

We applied for and partly received U.S. citizenship, my wife is now a dual citizen and I am waiting for a swearing in ceremony. We did this in the event that we did return to Canada, we could always come back to the U.S. without the whole immigration hassle.

My wife likes the Carolinas, so we just may have to move up there.

Hey Reba, any room in NC for a few more Canucks?

sure, its a big state!

Where are you looking to move to? Coast, flat-lands, foothills or mountains?

I'm in a small city (in Canada it would be called a town) in the foothills. Been here nearly 2 years and I dont particularly like it.

Look for jobs before you make any drastic decisions. NC has one of the highest unemployment rates in the country, so jobs are scarce in some areas. And pay rates are not equal to other parts of the country either from what I've seen.

Experiences vary of course, like I said, its a big state, and every town is different.

We are currently looking at either the Charlotte (Matthews) or Raleigh (Cary) areas. My wife is interviewing with companies in both locations so the best offer will probably dictate our final destination.

Fortunately for me, I am in the IT industry and can pretty much find a job in any metro area.

I really don't like moving but I'm ready for a change now. Every time we get a hurricane it's like a small move anyway. The shutters go up, all of the outside stuff like patio furniture, pool things, toys and potted plants have to come inside. I will miss the beach but then again that's what vacations are for.

yeah well, Charlotte flooded last week when two storms converged on each other there. We're certainly not immune to bad weather, even in-land. We still have to secure outdoor furniture occasionally And in winter, Charlotte has been known to sometimes get more snow than we do here in the foothills. Last year we got none, Charlotte got a couple of feet, total all season. 8 inches of it fell in one storm. Do you remember how to drive in snow?

But, the beach is not that far away if you move to Raleigh. Only 4 hours to Kitty Hawk. Not quite 2 hours to Wilmington. Quite a bit further if you move to Charlotte.

There was somewhere on the internet a salary rate comparisson, but I can't find it now. I remember just being able to type in my occupation, and then click a state to see how much the average pay was. Can't find it now. I do recall that North Carolina was lower salaries than a lot of places. And the further away from whatever NC calls a "big city" the lower the pay.

Considering not a single city in NC has a population over 700,000, I find it hard to call any of them "big".

Wikipedia can find you lots of info tho for cost of living and average household income.

and btw, Charlotte was voted one of the 10 most boring cities in the country not long ago.