You got our vote!

Unfair voter registration laws are punishing expat workers in locations like London, New York and Hong Kong.

Simply put, if you’re Canadian and are working abroad more than five years you can’t vote. Those away less than five years can – but you must declare your intention to return to the homeland, and that could cost you dearly in taxes.

Long-term assignments overseas can mean lower taxes than in Canada but the cost of living in places like Hong Kong or London is considerably higher than in Canadian cities.

If you want to vote you run the risk of high taxes and high living costs.

David Armitage, a governor of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong said, “I would like Revenue Canada to come out and say Canadians living abroad can register to vote without having it impact their tax status”.

Hong Kong residents pay only about 16% in income taxes, but rent for a modest apartment can be several times higher than in any Canadian city, a potentially devastating blow for anyone’s finances if they are brought under the Canadian tax system.

The “bigger issue” is “how Canada values its expat community,” says Mr. Armitage. There are about 300,000 Canadians living in the U.K. and Hong Kong alone.

“We are the people that work tirelessly for Canada,” says one of them. “We sell Canadian products and promote Canada’s global image. We are the kind of people who would bring something very valuable to the Canadian voting polity. But we aren’t invited to that party.”

Richard Wright, a Canadian in the communications industry who has been in Hong Kong for several years doesn’t share the view. “If Canadians abroad don’t pay taxes in Canada then they shouldn’t have the right to vote, I’m quite political when I’m back in Canada, but if I want to vote there I should pay taxes.”