I'd like to try living & travelling in Asia 12 months a year & see if i like it or if i'd rather come back to Canada. Stay in no country more than 179 days/yr to avoid becoming a "tax resident", so would not have to pay taxes for income there, since all my income (life annuities) would be from Canadian sources. This 179 day rule would apply to nations like Thailand, the Philippines, Cambodia. I'm guessing Hong Kong & Macau as well.
Unfortunately it seems that if after leaving Canada i come to be considered a non resident of Canada for tax purposes, then i'd be subject to withholding taxes of 25% on my incomes, considerably more than the less than 7% i presently pay. OTOH, AFAIK, if i was still considered a tax resident of Canada, even while living abroad for years, the 7% tax rate would continue to apply.
Alternately to declaring intentions of making a permanent move from Canada, another plan would be to live outside the country for up to 24 months with the intention of returning. It is possible to do this while still paying into and recieving provincial health coverage. For example in BC the limit for doing this is once every 5 years for up to 24 months.
Although I'm not aware if they will allow the purchase of coverage to Canadians who have no residence (rented or owned) in Canada. I'd rather not be throwing away cash by paying rent on an apartment i'm not living in for 2 years, but perhaps that is the price one has to pay to maintain tax residence status in Canada. Neither the Revenue Canada or the BC Health care sites give definitive answers about this.
Ideally i'd prefer to retire to Bangkok 12 months a year, but then there are issues of paying taxes in two countries and the 25% withholding rate payable to Canada. Moreover, from my reading on the subject, one is less likely to be declared a non resident of Canada for tax purposes if they do not become a resident of another country, which i take to mean tax resident.
What i'm wondering is, if possible, how to make a permanent move to Asia & continue paying less than 7% Canadian tax.
Even better than that, perhaps, would be if the Canadian annuity companies could transfer my payments so that i was receiving them from outside Canada, say Hong Kong, and as such it was considered that i no longer had any Canadian income, so was not subject to any Canadian taxes, and the non Canadian source of my income charged me no tax.
Tax resident status in Canada, as i understand it, is based on a number of things, such as residential ties to Canada as well as ties to another nation. The former could include things like a spouse or children living in Canada, ownership of property, bank accounts investments & CCs, club memberships, driver's licence, etc.
Personally i'd be maintaining at least 5 bank accounts, 2 CCs & 2 bank cards with 2 Canadian banks. Maybe some personal belongings like clothes & furniture in storage. Also relatives living there along with ex wife recieving alimony payments. I wouldn't be making any "residential ties" in Asia, or paying income tax there. Would this make me a resident or non resident of Canada for tax purposes?