Margery Kohl

When a U.S. citizen or U.S. resident alien is married to a Canadian spouse who is not a U.S. citizen, then property transfers between the spouses could be taxable in the United States or subject to U.S. gift-tax rules.

Most Canadians are not familiar with a gift tax or an estate tax because Canada doesn’t have such taxes. In the United States, however, gift and estate taxes exist alongside regular income tax, and can run as high as 40% of the value of a U.S. taxpayer’s wealth over a certain amount.