Higgins calls for continued discussions on Canada's proposed property tax on Americans

Higgins also releases statement on Canada’s testing policy change

During a U.S. House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee hearing, Congressman Brian Higgins, D-NY-26, asked U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Katherine Tai to continue discussions related to Canada’s proposed 1% tax on United States citizens owning property in Canada.

Higgins said, in part, “Canadian government proposed a 1% tax on property owners that are not Canadian citizens. … I would just ask respectfully that you bring these issues up with your counterpart in Canada. The United States and Canada are friends, we’re trading partners. Both countries took a major hit over the past 24 months, and we don’t need to be imposing additional restrictions on the purchase and enjoyment of properties on both sides of the border.”

This is the latest of several efforts made by Higgins to encourage Canada to hold U.S. property owners harmless. Higgins, who serves as co-chair of the Canada-U.S. Interparliamentary Group, objected to the tax in letters to President Joe Biden and Canada’s ambassador to the U.S. He raised his concerns with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau directly during the visit to Capitol Hill, spoke about it on the House floor, and suggested the measure could prompt a reciprocal tax on Canadians owning property in the U.S. – while hoping it doesn’t reach that point.

•Higgins also released the following statement on Canada ending its border-crossing testing requirement for those who are fully vaccinated: “For the people of Western New York and Southern Ontario, crossing the border has long been as comfortable as crossing the street. That changed two years ago, cutting off families, friends and the free economic exchange that benefits our binational economies. We still take calls every day in our office about the border. People are confused and frustrated by the disjointed rules that remain. Removing the testing requirement is a good move, but we need to get back to where we were prior to the pandemic.”