CRA indicates that foreign currency is not property for purposes of the suspended-loss rules

A U.S.-dollar loan owing to an affiliated trust is repaid on its maturity, thereby resulting in an s. 39(2) FX loss to the borrower. The trust promptly relends those U.S.-dollar to the borrower. Is the s. 39(2) loss (which is deemed to be a loss from the disposition of foreign currency) suspended under s. 40(3.4) (or is it a superficial loss under s. 40(2)(g)(i), if the borrower is an individual)?

CRA indicated that the issue here is whether the USDs received by the borrower under the new loan are identical property to the foreign currency that it was deemed to have disposed of under s. 39(2), and noted that under the "property" definition in s. 248(1), “money could constitute property unless a contrary intention is evident” – but then stated:

However, the CRA's position is not to consider money to be identical property for the purposes of subparagraph 40(2)(g)(i) or subsections 40(3.3) and (3.4) in a circumstance such as this where a taxpayer sustains a loss under subsection 39(2).

Therefore, no suspended (or superficial) loss.

Neal Armstrong. Summary of 6 October 2017 APFF Financial Strategies and Instruments Roundtable, Q.10 under s. 40(3.3).