tax filing

[anusai]

I need advice on tax filing.

I am a Canadian citizen. I have been staying outside of Canada but travel to Canada as my children
are there.

I have not filed taxes for 3 years now. I am not working and do not earn anything. What should I do?
I am very worried about this.

Also, I have not declared myself as NON RESIDENT CANADIAN.

I have not taken any medical advantage as I do not like to visit the doctor since I am maintaining a good health. Whenever required I visit private clinics in the country where I am residing.

How can I solve this problem of tax. Please advise.

thanks

 

[seton]

How often do you travel to Canada? The rules are fairly specific but it is up to the CRA to deem you a non-resident. Generally it's 183 days or more in Canada generally automatically makes you a resident. Have you filed a tax return in the country you now reside in?

In general with returns, you actually don't need to file one if you don't owe the CRA money. However if you have Canadian sources of income (bank accounts, investments, etc. in Canada), and you file a return in your resident country, then you should be declaring that income in your resident country (and taking advantage of any tax treaties with Canada to ensure you aren't being double taxed).

 

[SenoritaBella]

The irony is, those who don't file "because they don't owe" do not even realise how much they are missing out on tax credits. Some provinces have an assisted living income tax credit for those who earn less than a certain amount per year. But if you don't file, you get nothing.