Around the League - 2023/24

[Balthazar]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1815751291185811889

 

[henchman21]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1815751291185811889

That feeling when you realize you voluntarily decided to live in Philadelphia.

 

[Balthazar]

CRA = Canada Revenue Agency, which is Canadian's IRS

Is this bad?

 

[UncleRisto]

CRA = Canada Revenue Agency, which is Canadian's IRS

Is this bad?

I don't know, it says owns. Maybe it isn't.

 

[Alienblood]

CRA = Canada Revenue Agency, which is Canadian's IRS

Is this bad?

well he owns it

 

[Balthazar]

I don't know, it says owns. Maybe it isn't.

It kinda is. In short, Tavares thought he could avoid Canadian taxes on signing bonuses. CRA doesn't agree.

In total, Tavares’s deal includes US$70.89 million in signing bonus money and US$6.11 million in base salary. Tavares appeal states bonus money differs from salary because it is payable regardless of whether he plays, is traded, sent to the minors or injured, or there is a labour dispute.

The CRA, according to Tavares’ appeal filed in January, determined his 2018 income was $17.8 million higher than reported, and ordered the player to pay $6.8 million in taxes — over 38 per cent — plus $1.2 million in interest.

John Tavares is fighting an $8M CRA tax bill. Ottawa tells court he must pay | Globalnews.ca

The federal government is pushing back against John Tavares’ $8-million tax dispute with the Canada Revenue Agency, arguing the Toronto Maple Leafs captain is offside.

globalnews.ca

 

[S E P H]

That feeling when you realize you voluntarily decided to live in Philadelphia.

Is Philly truly that bad? I get it they had the cocaine problem in the 80s and now have a fentanyl problem, but everyone is saying it is a hellhole and I don't know if it's based on reputation or actually lives up to its name...

Dresses like a foreigner though with a collared shirt looking like a Tommy Hilfiger, those jeans, and that choice of trainers.

CRA = Canada Revenue Agency, which is Canadian's IRS

Is this bad?

Pulling a page out of the Coyotes playbook, never knew he wanted to be the bad boy lol.

 

[Grigowski]

Guentzel likes Lightning’s Stanley Cup chances, ‘winning pedigree’ | NHL.com

Forward signed 7-year contract following trade from Hurricanes, won title with Penguins in 2017

www.nhl.com

 

[henchman21]

Is Philly truly that bad? I get it they had the cocaine problem in the 80s and now have a fentanyl problem, but everyone is saying it is a hellhole and I don't know if it's based on reputation or actually lives up to its name...

Dresses like a foreigner though with a collared shirt looking like a Tommy Hilfiger, those jeans, and that choice of trainers.

Pulling a page out of the Coyotes playbook, never knew he wanted to be the bad boy lol.

It is all a matter of perspective. I don't personally mind Philly. It is pretty rough, but there is a lot of charm too. If you can get past the crime and generally stay out of the bad areas (except when you want a good cheesesteak), it is pretty cool. If you're sensitive to crime and expect everything to be clean... it is not a city you'd want to live in.

Keep in mind, I really like Detroit and it is one of my favorite cities. My tolerance to somethings is pretty high.

 

[Pokecheque]

Is Philly truly that bad? I get it they had the cocaine problem in the 80s and now have a fentanyl problem, but everyone is saying it is a hellhole and I don't know if it's based on reputation or actually lives up to its name...

Dresses like a foreigner though with a collared shirt looking like a Tommy Hilfiger, those jeans, and that choice of trainers.

Pulling a page out of the Coyotes playbook, never knew he wanted to be the bad boy lol.

I remember going with my dad on a business trip in the early 90s and we drove through Philly, I just remember the bad neighborhoods there made the worst parts of Denver look like downtown Aspen. I was truly appalled at how run down everything was. Admittedly it's a much, much older (and bigger) city than Denver, so there's that.

 

[henchman21]

It kinda is. In short, Tavares thought he could avoid Canadian taxes on signing bonuses. CRA doesn't agree.

In total, Tavares’s deal includes US$70.89 million in signing bonus money and US$6.11 million in base salary. Tavares appeal states bonus money differs from salary because it is payable regardless of whether he plays, is traded, sent to the minors or injured, or there is a labour dispute.

The CRA, according to Tavares’ appeal filed in January, determined his 2018 income was $17.8 million higher than reported, and ordered the player to pay $6.8 million in taxes — over 38 per cent — plus $1.2 million in interest.

John Tavares is fighting an $8M CRA tax bill. Ottawa tells court he must pay | Globalnews.ca

The federal government is pushing back against John Tavares’ $8-million tax dispute with the Canada Revenue Agency, arguing the Toronto Maple Leafs captain is offside.

globalnews.ca

The CRA is making Tavares an example and trying to get a landmark ruling. By traditional thought, this would go against the US/Canada tax treaty. If the CRA wins, any Canadian who is a US resident (for clarity Tavares has been a US resident for tax purposes since 2010) for tax purposes would have to pay full tax on their bonuses. Which would open up a lot more income available to be taxed and one of the primary methods for avoiding Canadian income tax would be shut down. The other main method was RCAs and deducting from there, but the CRA has heavily attacked that one as well (IIRC there is a case against a few Blue Jay players still pending).

If the CRA wins both of these cases, as a general rule... not exact, players on Canadian teams are looking at upwards of 20% more taxes than they would have otherwise expected. These have been traditional workarounds utilized by Canadian teams (in all leagues) to actually lower taxes below what many American teams face.

 

[S E P H]

It is all a matter of perspective. I don't personally mind Philly. It is pretty rough, but there is a lot of charm too. If you can get past the crime and generally stay out of the bad areas (except when you want a good cheesesteak), it is pretty cool. If you're sensitive to crime and expect everything to be clean... it is not a city you'd want to live in.

Keep in mind, I really like Detroit and it is one of my favorite cities. My tolerance to somethings is pretty high.

I remember going with my dad on a business trip in the early 90s and we drove through Philly, I just remember the bad neighborhoods there made the worst parts of Denver look like downtown Aspen. I was truly appalled at how run down everything was. Admittedly it's a much, much older (and bigger) city than Denver, so there's that.

So how would you lot rank these cities; Boston, Miami, Philadelphia, St. Louis, and Chicago?

 

[henchman21]

I remember going with my dad on a business trip in the early 90s and we drove through Philly, I just remember the bad neighborhoods there made the worst parts of Denver look like downtown Aspen. I was truly appalled at how run down everything was. Admittedly it's a much, much older (and bigger) city than Denver, so there's that.

I always get a chuckle out of people saying bad parts of Denver. There are certainly areas worse than the rest of the city, but as a whole, Denver's worst areas are really not that bad. You want bad... St Louis, Milwaukee, Memphis, Chicago, New Orleans, Detroit, Baltimore.... those cities have some places where you legitimately don't want to step foot in.

So how would you lot rank these cities; Boston, Miami, Philadelphia, St. Louis, and Chicago?

In personal preference or how rough they are?

 

[S E P H]

In personal preference or how rough they are?

How livable they are with some personal preference.

 

[LOFIN]

The CRA is making Tavares an example and trying to get a landmark ruling. By traditional thought, this would go against the US/Canada tax treaty. If the CRA wins, any Canadian who is a US resident (for clarity Tavares has been a US resident for tax purposes since 2010) for tax purposes would have to pay full tax on their bonuses. Which would open up a lot more income available to be taxed and one of the primary methods for avoiding Canadian income tax would be shut down. The other main method was RCAs and deducting from there, but the CRA has heavily attacked that one as well (IIRC there is a case against a few Blue Jay players still pending).

If the CRA wins both of these cases, as a general rule... not exact, players on Canadian teams are looking at upwards of 20% more taxes than they would have otherwise expected. These have been traditional workarounds utilized by Canadian teams (in all leagues) to actually lower taxes below what many American teams face.

If that would come to pass, I might have time for some of the crying about the "tax advantage"

 

[The Abusement Park]

If that would come to pass, I might have time for some of the crying about the "tax advantage"

I would definitely agree there.

 

[missionAvs]

If that would come to pass, I might have time for some of the crying about the "tax advantage"

Meh, I wouldn't. That's not really on the NHL. This seems to be an issue with Canada and their tax rates/policies. It's the same when comparing tax rates across US states.

 

[henchman21]

How livable they are with some personal preference.

Boston is in a league by itself here. For a large city, it is actually quite nice and livable. Dorchester may want to be avoided, but as a whole it is a different level than the other cities.

St Louis is also in a league by itself, but on the other end of the spectrum. It has all the crime, poverty, and general grime of Chicago... without any of the glam. There are certainly nice areas in St Louis, but they are largely removed from the city itself and very segregated without much interaction between.

Miami, Philly, and Chicago are just mixtures of what you'd prefer. Miami has the best weather and vibrant diversity. In many areas you almost have to know some Spanish to get along... with that comes amazing food and just a completely different vibe. There is plenty of crime, but plenty of ways to escape it. Where Philly and Chicago are more traditional large American cities, definitely some culture around them and different vibes (east cost vs midwest), but just more typical.

My personal POV Boston >> Miami > Philly > Chicago >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> St Louis

 

[ABasin]

So how would you lot rank these cities; Boston, Miami, Philadelphia, St. Louis, and Chicago?

Boston
Miami
<pretty large space>
Philadelphia
Chicago
St. Louis

P.S. I have spent quite a bit of time in Boston, Philadelphia (lived there for a time, actually), and St. Louis. Miami and Chicago, I've just visited for business a number of times.

 

[LOFIN]

Meh, I wouldn't. That's not really on the NHL. This seems to be an issue with Canada and their tax rates/policies. It's the same when comparing tax rates across US states.

Yea sure. What I meant that at the moment it really does not provide any meaningful advantage. If players playing in Canada would have to pay 20% more taxes, that is a huge disadvantage and something probably would have to be coined up to relieve that.

 

[ABasin]

I always get a chuckle out of people saying bad parts of Denver. There are certainly areas worse than the rest of the city, but as a whole, Denver's worst areas are really not that bad. You want bad... St Louis, Milwaukee, Memphis, Chicago, New Orleans, Detroit, Baltimore.... those cities have some places where you legitimately don't want to step foot in.

If you want to see some of the worst neighborhoods anywhere, take the Amtrak from DC to New York some time, and just look out the window. Baltimore, Philadelphia, Trenton, Newark. Just some very sad places, especially in Baltimore.

A bit under a decade ago, my ex had a major surgery at Johns Hopkins hospital in Baltimore. We lived in the Inner Harbor (which is a nice area) at a hotel for a month while she recovered. The hotel and the hospital were less than 1.5 miles apart. There was no way I could walk between the two. In fact, I was specifically advised not to, by a couple of members of the medical staff.

And that area isn't as bad as some others in Baltimore.

 

[S E P H]

Boston is in a league by itself here. For a large city, it is actually quite nice and livable. Dorchester may want to be avoided, but as a whole it is a different level than the other cities.

St Louis is also in a league by itself, but on the other end of the spectrum. It has all the crime, poverty, and general grime of Chicago... without any of the glam. There are certainly nice areas in St Louis, but they are largely removed from the city itself and very segregated without much interaction between.

Miami, Philly, and Chicago are just mixtures of what you'd prefer. Miami has the best weather and vibrant diversity. In many areas you almost have to know some Spanish to get along... with that comes amazing food and just a completely different vibe. There is plenty of crime, but plenty of ways to escape it. Where Philly and Chicago are more traditional large American cities, definitely some culture around them and different vibes (east cost vs midwest), but just more typical.

My personal POV Boston >> Miami > Philly > Chicago >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> St Louis

Boston
Miami
<pretty large space>
Philadelphia
Chicago
St. Louis

P.S. I have spent quite a bit of time in Boston, Philadelphia (lived there for a time, actually), and St. Louis. Miami and Chicago, I've just visited for business a number of times.

Thanks lads for the info! I have been to Boston and Chicago, not the other locations and Boston was legit AF. I liked my time in Chicago, but much of that might be because of the Polish connection.

What made you lot choose Philly over Chicago?

 

[John Mandalorian]

I don't know, it says owns. Maybe it isn't.

He’s being like Grandma from Rounders. Worm is in a lot of trouble.

 

[ABasin]

Thanks lads for the info! I have been to Boston and Chicago, not the other locations and Boston was legit AF. I liked my time in Chicago, but much of that might be because of the Polish connection.

What made you lot choose Philly over Chicago?

Probably just familiarity. I lived there, so I know/knew the places to go and to avoid.

Plus, they have better Italian food. They know how to make a proper pizza.

 

[henchman21]

Yea sure. What I meant that at the moment it really does not provide any meaningful advantage. If players playing in Canada would have to pay 20% more taxes, that is a huge disadvantage and something probably would have to be coined up to relieve that.

If structured correctly, players in Canada could have actually paid less than a number of markets in the US like Boston, Chicago, New York, Philly, New Jersey, and California. Now they'll simply be at par with California and near the top.

Thanks lads for the info! I have been to Boston and Chicago, not the other locations and Boston was legit AF. I liked my time in Chicago, but much of that might be because of the Polish connection.

What made you lot choose Philly over Chicago?

Philly just has more interesting things to do and culture. That's 100% personal preference though.

If you want to see some of the worst neighborhoods anywhere, take the Amtrak from DC to New York some time, and just look out the window. Baltimore, Philadelphia, Trenton, Newark. Just some very sad places, especially in Baltimore.

A bit under a decade ago, my ex had a major surgery at Johns Hopkins hospital in Baltimore. We lived in the Inner Harbor (which is a nice area) at a hotel for a month while she recovered. The hotel and the hospital were less than 1.5 miles apart. There was no way I could walk between the two. In fact, I was specifically advised not to, by a couple of members of the medical staff.

And that area isn't as bad as some others in Baltimore.

Baltimore, especially 5+ years ago was really, really rough. Which is a shame because there are some really cool places there.