Canada by Finding Josephine
In 2007, the United Nations ranked Canada as one of the top five best places to live worldwide, based on a variety of environmental, health, and economic indicators. Here are our favourite reasons why Americans should move on up to Canada.
Getting over the hurdle
1. Low taxes for business owners
Despite a lingering perception that Canadians pay a lot of tax, a 2006 KPMG study found that the costs of operating a business, including electricity rates, land and construction costs, and corporate taxes, were lower in Canada than in the other G7 nations (the United States, France, Italy, U.K., Japan, and Germany).
2. Incentives for entrepreneurs
Federal and provincial governments have a number of resources to assist prospective non-Canadian entrepreneurs who are considering starting a business in Canada. Check out the federal government’s Investment, Science, & Technology Branch , the Canada Business website for entrepreneurs, and the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development and Trade
3. Good news for your kids
Public School for Free
by Daryl Mitchell
Free public education is provided to all Canadian citizens and permanent residents from kindergarten until they complete secondary school, typically at age 18. If you have a valid Canadian work permit, Canada immigration should issue your children a permit that will allow them to register in public school for free.
4. Good news for your teens
Canadian Colleges and Universities are world-class, but they are also public institutions, operated and funded by the provincial governments (unlike the United States, which has an extensive network of private colleges and universities). This means that Canadian universities are very inexpensive compared with their U.S. counterparts. Most Canadian university students pay less than $5,000 for their annual tuition.
5. Tax haven for the very wealthy
Because of crushing debt, the States is targeting its already-over-taxed wealthy for yet more tax revenue, while Canada is being nicknamed ‘the Switzerland of the North’ for reforming its tax laws: high-net-worth immigrants can benefit from a five-year tax holiday under the Immigrant Investor Program if they store their investment assets in a trust held outside Canada. The program allows such immigrants to become Canadian citizens without immediately incurring taxes on assets they accumulated before moving here. We have no inheritance tax, which in the U.S. enables the taxman to grab between 35 per cent and 40 per cent of a person’s estate after he or she dies. We don’t tax gifts either.
6. Access to world class universal health care
Unlike the previous point, this applies to everyone, no matter how broke you are
7. A relatively low crime rate
8. Amenities and services
Lets Go Shopping by Robert
Once only found in larger centres like New York and London, high end condos, top restaurants and luxury shopping abound in big Canadian cities like Vancouver and Toronto
9. Canada’s stable banking sector
Straightforward financial regulations and stable banking sector ensure no credit meltdowns like those seen in your neck of the woods.
10. Tim Hortons
Put Dunkin Donuts on steroids, add a healthy dose of patriotic pride, mix in some hockey, and now you get the picture.
Canadian post-secondary institutions are private institutions, autonomous from the government in terms of operation but receive provincial subsidies based on the Basic Income Units (student enrolments). They are not public institutions and produce a mandate outside of provincial government influence. The provincial subsidies are an assistance to students, not specifically institutions. Public education in the provinces is considered kindergarten to grade12.