- Aug 6, 2012
- 28,008
- 24,814
- 2,405
You would think this would cause some problems regarding NAFTA right? No, this is from July, before Trump was elected.
The long list of trade abuses by Canada against America is astounding. Hidden taxes, the soft lumber dispute, the meat labelling dispute, covert entry into U.S corporations by the security apparatus (deemed the "Canadian Tariff"). Bribing businesses with big money to move jobs to Canada from America. We could go on and on.
Mr. Trump and Mr. Ross certainly aren't out of the loop regarding these issues.
Barry Appleton: B.C. just violated NAFTA with its foreign property tax — and we could all pay for it
The British Columbia government has suddenly introduced a penalty tax forcing non-Canadian purchasers of residential real estate in the Greater Vancouver Regional District to pay a 15 per cent tax on all purchases registered from Aug. 2, 2016. This penalty tax discriminates by definition against foreign investors buying residential real estate in the Greater Vancouver Area: Canadian citizens buying residential real estate are exempt; foreign buyers must pay the tax.
That discrimination is a glaring violation of our trade treaties. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and other Canadian trade agreements prohibit governments from imposing discriminatory policies that punish foreigners while exempting locals. NAFTA’s national treatment obligation requires that citizens from other NAFTA partners investing in B.C. receive the same treatment from the government as the very best treatment received by Canadian investors. Americans and Mexicans forced to pay the 15 per cent penalty tax would be able to pursue direct compensation for B.C.’s discriminatory tax from an independent international tribunal.
The long list of trade abuses by Canada against America is astounding. Hidden taxes, the soft lumber dispute, the meat labelling dispute, covert entry into U.S corporations by the security apparatus (deemed the "Canadian Tariff"). Bribing businesses with big money to move jobs to Canada from America. We could go on and on.
Mr. Trump and Mr. Ross certainly aren't out of the loop regarding these issues.
Barry Appleton: B.C. just violated NAFTA with its foreign property tax — and we could all pay for it
The British Columbia government has suddenly introduced a penalty tax forcing non-Canadian purchasers of residential real estate in the Greater Vancouver Regional District to pay a 15 per cent tax on all purchases registered from Aug. 2, 2016. This penalty tax discriminates by definition against foreign investors buying residential real estate in the Greater Vancouver Area: Canadian citizens buying residential real estate are exempt; foreign buyers must pay the tax.
That discrimination is a glaring violation of our trade treaties. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and other Canadian trade agreements prohibit governments from imposing discriminatory policies that punish foreigners while exempting locals. NAFTA’s national treatment obligation requires that citizens from other NAFTA partners investing in B.C. receive the same treatment from the government as the very best treatment received by Canadian investors. Americans and Mexicans forced to pay the 15 per cent penalty tax would be able to pursue direct compensation for B.C.’s discriminatory tax from an independent international tribunal.
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