The Canadian Government is introducing a new 15% minimum tax for HNWIs. This is in addition to its already announced plans to implement a new tax on non-resident, non-Canadian owners of vacant, underused housing.

The idea is to capture additional tax revenues in order to help off-set exploding budgetary needs over the last 18 months, which have resulted in the doubling of Canada’s national debt.

Although quite logical from a governmental perspective, the implication is stark: those with fixed assets such as real estate whose liquidity is variable within a country that is experiencing such scapegoating of foreign ownership is not as prudent an investment choice as something which has more liquidity and mobility such as investment funds.

As Western countries move towards greater tax burdens to help pay for the ever increasing regulatory state, those with means should start looking for highly diversified solutions that also include additional citizenship/permanent residency options as a useful vertical to tax planning. No longer is investment migration simply a life-style choice; but rather it is now becoming a need to protect one’s hard earned family wealth from the ever increasing and insatiable hunger of tax authorities.

Saratoga’s investment migration fund options are an interesting option for the discerning investor who is concerned about such governmental overreach.