Foreign exchange gain/loss

Tax Topics
1

I read some article about repayment of debt denoted in foreign currency may realise capital gain/loss.

I still have to pay credit card bills monthly from my home country using home country currency (which has never been changed into CAD). I plan to continue using home country credit card which will generate new bills.

My concern is whether such payment of bills classified as “repayment of debt” and need to calculate capital gain/loss?

Though I think it doesn’t not make sense…

Thanks in advance

2

Are the credit card bills for personal expenditures or business expenditures relating to business or property income reported in Canada?

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3

for personal expenditures in my home country and Canada.
I will also transfer some money from my credit card to bank account and use one credit card to pay for another credit card (both with no handling fee or interest if I pay the credit card bills on time. Those money together with my savings may generate interest and I know I have to pay tax for the bank interest earned
Thanks!

4

I also do the “money transfer from credit card to bank account” and “one credit card pay for another credit card” thing monthly and payment of credit card bills monthly.
my thought is even if they are considered “debt” (which I hope not), as I am doing this “borrowing and repayment” many times in a year so the annual average exchange rate is used here, then any gain and loss will zero out…not sure I am right or wrong

5

You may have a foreign exchange gain or loss but it makes no tax difference since those personal expenditures are not deductible.

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6

Thanks for reply. I won’t use them to deduct tax but afraid I have to pay tax for foreign capital gain if these are considered to be “repayment of debt”. CRA website about foreign gain/loss are so brief but in this article (https://ca.rbcwealthmanagement.com/documents/279944/279960/Foreign+currency+tax+reporting.pdf/516ae046-c163-4da8-ab17-632b51001ca1) they depict this thing in a very complicated way

7

“You may recognize a capital gain or loss at the time you dispose of capital property or settle a capital liability…” This is not applicable to personal, consumer (non-investment) debt. You don’t need to worry about it. It’s not applicable to your taxes.

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