Bird Talk Featuring the letters & concerns of our members SEND YOUR LETTERS TO Bird Talk, c/o CSANews 180 Lesmill Road Toronto, Ontario M3B 2T5 or by e-mail: csawriteus@snowbirds.org Bird Talk American tax return. Has anyone dealt with this type of issue before? Out of the utmost respect for our parents, to keep this property for generations would be wonderful. Thanks for your help Paul Kelly Elora, ON Ed.: Your mother and father got some very good advice to protect you. Since the property is now in the three children’s names, there is no capital gains tax to pay and you have to do nothing further. If you decide to sell it, however, the increase in value since 1994 would be subject to tax.What often happens is that one child will want to get the cash out. If you purchase their share, then that share (one-third) becomes subject to capital gains tax in the seller’s hands. You can’t give them a really “good” deal, as the taxman will want the share sold at fair market value. You could take less, of course, but the tax will be on the current assessment. Dear Bird Talk, Our mobile park dance committee would like to charge $10 admission for our dances. Someone mentioned that receipts had to be given to the Canadians if they were to charge $10. I would like to knowwhat kind of receipts should be given, or if it is even necessary to give any kind of receipts. Leo Piche Edmonton, AB Ed.: Well, that’s a new one on me. There is no reason whatsoever to give anyone a receipt, Canadian or not. A receipt might be required to claim a tax deduction for some reason, but not for a dance. If someone wants to claim some weird deduction, then ask them to put the request in writing with the reasons. That should make it go away. Dear Bird Talk, I have orange, grapefruit and lemon trees at my home in Arizona. Am I allowed to bring fruit from these trees when I return to my Alberta home? Weldon Hehr Alberta Ed.: Sorry, but absolutely not. The Department of Agriculture is very strict on these things to safeguard Canada’s crops from plagues, diseases and pests. We have to agree with their position and every border agent will enforce those rules aggressively. Dear Bird Talk, Every year, thousands of snowbirds travel south. I amwondering if the CSA has ever approached travel hotels to work out a travellers’ discount, such as is offered with CAA? Chris Cumming Saskatoon, SK Ed.: Great question and, yes, we have had hotel deals in the past.We had arrangements with Holiday Inns, Days Inns, and Choice Hotels, which has several brands. The discounts were reasonable, but we found that we got too many complaints – on service, on price and on cleanliness. We decided to make personal visits to see what really happened on the front line and we found that, if you ask, you usually got a better price than what our discounts provided.We reviewed AARP, CARP and other discount programs and they all had similar discounts to CSA’s. The only “real” discounts we found were through the CPSA, which is the Canadian Professional Sales Association. Several of my senior staff are members, as they travel extensively, but the annual price is quite high. There are also discount coupon books that you can buy and these can be quite good. Just do an Internet search to find them. Dear Bird Talk, Duringmy recent doctor’s appointment, I asked about getting the shingles shot but mentioned that I didn’t know whether I had had chicken pox as a child. Her recommendation was to get a blood test to determine whether I had the chicken pox virus in my system. If the test is negative, I am to get the chicken pox vaccine as opposed to the shingles shot. Bill Hallam Ontario Ed.: We have not heard this before, but it sounds like excellent advice. Just make sure that you get one or the other and let your doctor decide. Dear Bird Talk, This is a shout-out to J. Ross Quigley for his article in the summer 2016 issue in which he referred to laser treatment to stop smoking. As any former or current smoker knows, quitting is very hard. Having been a smoker for more than 50 years, I failed with every quitting method offered by my medical team – none of whom ever suggested laser treatment. I had never heard of it. Reading Mr. Quigley’s statements that laser treatment works and is effective prodded me. After a quick Internet search, I found a clinic and made an appointment before I could change my mind. However, the cost was closer to $300, not including the vitamins promoted as part of the program, bringing the total to $425, compared to Mr. Quigley’s quoted cost of $100. However, booster shots are included for a few weeks and I do go for those when necessary. Bottom line – this is day 44 and soon, a very nice bottle of chilled champagne will be shared withmy team. To anyone thinking about quitting, it does require will power, determination and a strong support team but, so far, this treatment works better than anything else I have tried. Thank you, Ross Quigley! An Ontario Snowbird Ed: Congratulations! I am not sure if the vitamins help or not, but the results of the laser treatment are excellent. Never give in and watch out for New Year’s Eve! CSANews | WINTER 2016 | 9
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