For those of you who have been sleeping too much the past few days, let’s wake up and learn a bit about the face-off in Washington DC over the border security wall. Right now, there’s no federal budget in place and funding for many government agencies has disappeared, resulting in partial shutdowns for some, including … Continue reading SHUTDOWN… Last IRS Agent to Leave, Please Turn off the Lights
Category: Americans Overseas
Happy New Year – US to be Blacklisted as a Tax Haven?
Bloomberg reports that next year, the US may be put on the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) “blacklist” of tax haven countries alongside such notables as Guam and Trinidad and Tobago. The move comes as numerous countries continue to question the United States’ adamant refusal to participate in the international information exchange program, … Continue reading Happy New Year – US to be Blacklisted as a Tax Haven?
US Tax Disaster – Investing in Offshore Funds, Life Policies, Portfolio Bonds
What Every Overseas American Investor Must Know …. Many American investors are confused by sales pitches of expat investment advisors who are most often completely unfamiliar with US tax laws. While it is true that no tax may be payable in the fund's jurisdiction (Isle of Man, Guernsey or the UAE, for instance), significant US … Continue reading US Tax Disaster – Investing in Offshore Funds, Life Policies, Portfolio Bonds
PFICs – The Fairytale Definition That Lives Happily Ever After…
I was hoping that tax reform would have done away with, or at least modified, the troublesome provisions surrounding the PFIC or so-called “Passive Foreign Investment Company”. This was not to be and it prompted me to review the PFIC rules and count the ways they cause trouble! What is a PFIC? A PFIC is … Continue reading PFICs – The Fairytale Definition That Lives Happily Ever After…
PART II – Forms W-8BEN & W-8BEN-E: What Are They Used For? Which One Must I Complete?
Part I of this blog post explained how Form W-8BEN is used for so-called Chapter 3 income tax withholding purposes covering topics such as the types of income subject to US-source withholding when paid to a foreign (non-US) person; exemptions, length of time for validity of the Form. It also provided an overview of how … Continue reading PART II – Forms W-8BEN & W-8BEN-E: What Are They Used For? Which One Must I Complete?
New IRS Voluntary Disclosure – Not a Criminal? Don’t Join!
Learn the facts about the new IRS voluntary disclosure as explained in my interview with attorney John Richardson. Posted December 9, 2018 All the US tax information you need, every week – Just follow me on Twitter @VLJeker (listed in Forbes, Top 100 Must-Follow Tax Twitter Accounts 2017-2021). Subscribe to Virginia – US Tax Talk … Continue reading New IRS Voluntary Disclosure – Not a Criminal? Don’t Join!
Gifting Your Way to Freedom – How TCJA Can Help You Expatriate
Not surprisingly over 1,000 individuals expatriated (gave up US citizenship or long term residency) in the third quarter of 2018. This is according to the most recent “Name and Shame” list published by the US Treasury in the Federal Register on November 19, 2018. Most likely the real number is higher, as the accuracy of … Continue reading Gifting Your Way to Freedom – How TCJA Can Help You Expatriate
Newest Targets: “Enablers” and “Cryptocurrencies”
Over the summer, I blogged about the newly formed “Joint Chiefs of Global Tax Enforcement”, or the “J5”, for short. Five countries form this international coalition: Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The goal of the J5 is to combat transnational tax crime through increased collaboration; in other words, these … Continue reading Newest Targets: “Enablers” and “Cryptocurrencies”
JUST ANNOUNCED! Foreign Related Tax Inflation Adjustments for Tax Year 2019
The Internal Revenue Service today announced the tax year 2019 annual inflation adjustments for more than 60 tax provisions, including the tax rate schedules and other tax changes. Revenue Procedure 2018-57 provides details about these annual adjustments. The tax year 2019 adjustments generally are used on tax returns filed in 2020. For those of you … Continue reading JUST ANNOUNCED! Foreign Related Tax Inflation Adjustments for Tax Year 2019
Before You Think of Becoming an “American Abroad”, Read This….
I was recently asked about the tax problems faced by Americans who move overseas. Unfortunately, there are many US tax difficulties faced by Americans abroad. In order to make some sense of this vast topic, let's put the major problems into several basic categories. Once aware of the problems lurking out there, you can get … Continue reading Before You Think of Becoming an “American Abroad”, Read This….









