hello friends....

I lived in Canada for about 1 year and 5 months from March 2005 to August 2006 before moving back to India. I intend to stay in India permanantly though moving back to Canada is still an option open for a few years. I do not have a bank account or credit card in Canada. This was done more for security reasons then anything else.

I filed my 2005 tax returns through H&R Block last year in Toronto. Since I have worked from Jan to April 2006, I will be entitled to a tax refund and want to file my 2006 returns. I tried to use the H&R Blocks online tax filing software but couple of questions/doubts are in my mind.

1. I am asked for residence status. i.e. Province of residence as on Dec 31, 2006. Logically i put in non resident.

2. With non resident as my status, do I have to disclose my Indian income too? And since we file returns in India in June, I wouldn't be getting the Form 16 till april/may. I do have pay slips if CRA wants documentary proof. Even after disclosing my indian income , I still get entitled to a refund.

3. Software says I have include GST credit recieved in 2005 as income in 2006? Thats weird....

4. Tired to use NETFILE but most softwares say I cant use NETFILE if I am not residing in Canada.

5. Last year, I claimed house rentals as deductable expenses but there doesn't seem any coloumn for claiming rental expenses in the software. Am I missing something here with regard to this provision?

6. Have sent a email to H&R Block 8 days back asking them to inform me if they need any documents apart from T4 for my tax returns. Asked them if they would like the T4 scanned or faxed but haven't recieved any response from them yet. Last resort would be to call them if this online tax filing doesn't solve my doubts.

I am more inclined towards online filing cuz it's $19.99 which will be substantially cheaper then doing this through the tax consultant at HR Block.

Thanx for your help guys!

Amit

If I were you..........I would not be penny wise and pound foolish. It is not a straight forward case of filing a tax return and involves a lot of things. Give some money to a tax consultant (we have a few on this site like Pramod Chopra and DP Jain) and let them file the return. It will be safer and more correct.

Chandresh

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Chandresh

Advice is free – lessons I charge for!!

Thanks, Chandresh.

I and other tax consultants are there on this site to educate and give answers to most of the general tax topics and questions raised by CD members. But, I would not answer very specific question without understanding specific situation that is why I did not answer this one and this could be the reason it was un-answerec since a long time.

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Live and Let Live. Together we can make a difference.

DP JAIN, CPA, CGA, CPA (US), CA(I), LL.B.(I)
416-305-0080
(Loans, Mortgage, Tax, Accounting, Investments)

The best bet for you is to call Internation Tax Services Office in Ottawa.

I have copied and pasted contact information from their website. Believe me that you can get most efficient advise from these guys. Representatives are quite knowledgeable and patient. Wait time is hardly 30-60 seconds (I have tried it atleast 4-5 times). Your situation does not look very complex to me. I can answer most of your questions but do not want to get in legal things.

They have extended hours as you can see below. Here is link: http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/contact/international-e.html

.......................................................................................
Office address:
2204 Walkley Road
Ottawa ON K1A 1A8
Canada
Office hours:
8:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (year round)
Service by appointment only
Call to book an appointment


Hours of telephone service:
Individuals
8:15 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. from Monday to Friday
(Eastern time, May 1 to mid-February)

8:15 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. from Monday to Thursday;
8:15 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Friday
(Eastern time, mid-February to April 30)

Non resident corporations and trusts
8:15 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. from Monday to Friday
(Eastern time, year-round)

For questions about GST/HST, please see Non-resident GST/HST enquiries. For all other questions, see the telephone numbers below.

Calls from anywhere in Canada and the United States
Individuals
1-800-267-5177
Non-resident corporations
1-800-561-7761
Ext. 9144
Non-resident corporation accounts
1-800-561-7761
Ext. 9155
Non-resident trusts
1-800-561-7761
Ext. 9150

Calls from outside Canada and the United States
(we accept collect calls)
Individuals
1-613-952-3741
Non-resident corporations and corporation accounts
1-613-954-9681
Non-resident trusts
1-613-952-8753

Fax numbers
Individuals
1-613-941-2505
Non-resident corporations, corporation accounts, and trusts
1-613-952-3845

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Best luck,