Expatriation and Tax Compliance – IRS Fails to Process the Tax Return

As a tax practitioner I have assisted many taxpayers for decades with expatriation issues (i.e., relinquishing US citizenship or a green card held for at least 8 tax years). In the best case scenario, the taxpayer can avoid being treated as a "covered expatriate" (CE). Sometimes tax planning, correcting tax returns or submitting delinquent international … Continue reading Expatriation and Tax Compliance – IRS Fails to Process the Tax Return →

Part II: Biden Proposal Changes the Taxation Game for Gifts and Inheritances – Americans Abroad Hit Hard

Today's post, Part II, was written with my colleague John Richardson, J.D. Part I of this blog post discussed President Biden's Green Book proposal that would change the tax rules for unrealized capital gains when assets are gifted or passed at death. To recap, the major thrust of the Green Book proposal is to treat gifts … Continue reading Part II: Biden Proposal Changes the Taxation Game for Gifts and Inheritances – Americans Abroad Hit Hard →

Treasury Inspector General Says FATCA is a Big Fat Flop ….So Far

The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) just issued a damning report on FATCA: Additional Actions Are Needed to Address Non-Filing and Non-Reporting Compliance Under the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (Report # 2022-30-019 4/7/22), available here. The TIGTA audit was undertaken to evaluate IRS efforts to actually use the reams and reams of … Continue reading Treasury Inspector General Says FATCA is a Big Fat Flop ….So Far →

Tax Tips for the US Investor in a Foreign Start-Up: Convertible Notes

My earlier blog post, here examined some of the United States income tax consequences that could occur when a taxpayer mistakenly classifies an advance to a foreign corporation as a “loan” but that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) treats as a stockholding interest (“equity”) in the corporation. Two follow up posts, here and here examined the … Continue reading Tax Tips for the US Investor in a Foreign Start-Up: Convertible Notes →

Determinative Factors: “Debt” v. “Equity” and Your Loan to a Foreign Corporation (Part I)

My earlier blog post detailed some of the US tax consequences that could occur when a taxpayer makes, what he thinks is a “loan” to a foreign corporation, but that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) later determines should be treated as an “equity” interest in the corporation. As set out in my earlier blog post, Treasury … Continue reading Determinative Factors: “Debt” v. “Equity” and Your Loan to a Foreign Corporation (Part I) →

UAE Federal Corporate Tax: How Will it Impact the US Taxpayer? Part II

As discussed in my prior blog post, full details here, on January 31, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Ministry of Finance announced the introduction of a federal corporate tax (CT) on business, to be implemented in June 2023. The UAE is joining the other Gulf Cooperation Council countries (with exception for Bahrain) that collect tax … Continue reading UAE Federal Corporate Tax: How Will it Impact the US Taxpayer? Part II →

Overview: The Disregarded Entity & Check-the-Box

What Is a Disregarded Entity? How is it Used in US Tax Planning? Certain business entities can be treated as “nonexistent” for federal income tax purposes. That is, from a US tax perspective, they are simply “disregarded” and the entity is ignored by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). For other purposes, the entity is not disregarded, … Continue reading Overview: The Disregarded Entity & Check-the-Box →

Timely US Tax Filings: What are the Rules for Taxpayers in Foreign Countries?

Quite often, US taxpayers living in a foreign country are faced with tight deadlines for timely filing of tax returns, refund claims, documents and the like with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) before the statute of limitations expires. They are often confused as to how to send these physical documents to the IRS and be … Continue reading Timely US Tax Filings: What are the Rules for Taxpayers in Foreign Countries? →

Covered Expatriates, Exit Tax and the Principal Residence

My earlier blog post discussed the rules that apply to a US taxpayer who sells his personal residence, whether located abroad or in the US. If the home qualifies as the “principal residence” and other requirements are satisfied the taxpayer may exclude up to US$250,000 ($500,000 for joint returns) of taxable gain from income. As … Continue reading Covered Expatriates, Exit Tax and the Principal Residence →

Malta Pension Plan – IRS Knocks It Out.. and Yes, “I Told You So…..”

Just in time for Christmas, we have two big gifts. Both relate to Malta Pension Plan schemes. If you are too busy to read the post because of the Christmas rush, in a nutshell, they've just been knocked out and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is hot on the trail for taxpayers who used them! … Continue reading Malta Pension Plan – IRS Knocks It Out.. and Yes, “I Told You So…..” →