My accountant told me earlier this year that a TFSA wasn't treaty-protected and was therefore subject to the withholding, thanks for the head's-up on the W-8BEN, much appreciated!

Anybody with shares in their TFSA should be concerned about an exclusive NASDAQ listing, simply because you'll eventually be hit with the 15% withholding tax imposed by the American government when you sell. Not really an issue for regular trading accounts, as you get a corresponding tax credit, but TFSA's aren't subject to that credit, so a chunk of your profits will simply disappear.

If POET wants to offer a kindness to the long-suffering Canadian shareholders (who have been and continue to be the majority of backers), the expense of uplisting to the TSX shouldn't be an issue. Actually, I've been quite surprised over the past year that they haven't already done so, it would at least distance the company from the less-than-stellar reputation of the Venture.

With all the talk of the potential NASDAQ listing, a question came to mind, one that I haven’t been able to find online, so hopefully one of the more experienced members of the forum can provide some insight.

Assuming that POET is successful in obtaining the listing (on whatever tier of the NAS), where do the shares for it come from?

A couple scenarios come to mind, but I’m not sure how realistic any would be.

1) POET decides to delist from the TSX-V and simply transfer all existing shares over to the NAS, effectively keeping the existing value, but now valued in $USD.

2) POET keeps a duel listing and issues a new offering for trading on the NAS (anywhere from 10 to 100-million new shares for the American market), effectively diluting the share price for the existing TSX-V issued stock for at least the short term future.

3) Still with a duel listing, just prior to the NAS launch, POET implements a 1-for-2 RS then issues a corresponding number of new shares on the NAS, bringing the total number back to the current existing level. No real change to the share count, but investors may shy away from the stigma associated with the RS, so there may be an impact on short term pricing.

For those with more knowledge on the NASDAQ, how would this type of situation probably play out, one that would be in the best interest of the current investors?