Investing in a US Partnership? – A Bevy of Tax Issues for the Foreign Investor

When non-US persons invest in US assets, the investment structure should be considered well in advance. In many instances, foreign investors using US-based entities for investment are blissfully unaware of the tax pitfalls with regard to the structure chosen. The tax ramifications typically involve US income and US estate tax exposure. Foreign investors must nail … Continue reading Investing in a US Partnership? – A Bevy of Tax Issues for the Foreign Investor →

Breathing American Air – Hazardous to your Wealth? (Part II)

Part 1 of this blog post introduced readers to some of the issues surrounding US taxation of foreign persons and discussed the pitfalls of tax ignorance. This 2-part series identifies areas of potential US tax exposure for foreign nationals and examines the questions the foreign person and his advisors should be asking before taking a … Continue reading Breathing American Air – Hazardous to your Wealth? (Part II) →

Tax Planning – Ownership of Foreign Real Property

Investment decisions are difficult nowadays, but I am still getting inquiries from US persons about the US tax effects of owning foreign real property. Tax efficient structuring depends on numerous factors. While an earlier blog post discussed the general concept of what is called a "disregarded entity" and how it is used (and misused) by … Continue reading Tax Planning – Ownership of Foreign Real Property →

IRS Needs Money: NRA’s Owning US Real Estate Will Help the Agency Get it Via Taxes and Penalties

Foreign investment in the US real property market is big business. US property sales to foreign buyers in 2019 totaled US$78 billion. A look at statistics from more recent years shows that the largest share of foreign residential investors are from China and Canada, followed by Mexico. The US tax laws apply to foreigners owning … Continue reading IRS Needs Money: NRA’s Owning US Real Estate Will Help the Agency Get it Via Taxes and Penalties →

Check-the-Box Election: Is it Really that Simple?

A very important building block when establishing a business is selecting the best type of entity from both a legal and tax perspective. This “choice of entity classification” can make a huge difference in liability protection and tax outcome. When an international business is involved, it should come as no surprise that the complexities only … Continue reading Check-the-Box Election: Is it Really that Simple? →

IRS Hot on the Trail of Virtual Currency Owners: What IRS Letters to Taxpayers Really Mean

Just last week, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) reported that it has begun sending letters to taxpayers with virtual currency transactions. The targeted taxpayers are those that potentially failed to report income and pay tax from virtual currency transactions or those who failed to report their transactions properly. Virtual currency transactions involve complex tax issues … Continue reading IRS Hot on the Trail of Virtual Currency Owners: What IRS Letters to Taxpayers Really Mean →

No Creation of US Companies or LLCs Without Disclosure! Your Name, Please – Corporate Transparency Act of 2019

Each year, almost 2,000,000 corporations and limited liability companies are being formed under the laws of the various United States. Yet, only a handful of States require information about the beneficial owners of the corporations and limited liability companies formed under their laws. A person forming a corporation or limited liability company within the US … Continue reading No Creation of US Companies or LLCs Without Disclosure! Your Name, Please – Corporate Transparency Act of 2019 →

Head’s Up! IRS Just Revised EIN Application Procedure & Foreign Taxpayers Will Struggle

Effective as of May 13, taxpayers can no longer request an employer identification number (EIN) unless the "responsible party" named on the application has either a Social Security Number (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN). Only governmental entities and the military are exempt from this requirement, and may continue to list non-individual entities as … Continue reading Head’s Up! IRS Just Revised EIN Application Procedure & Foreign Taxpayers Will Struggle →

A Big Mistake – Joint Ownership of Assets With Your Non-US Citizen Spouse

I know many married couples of mixed nationality, when one spouse is not a US citizen and the other has such citizenship. Without due consideration to the US tax issues, spouses often hold title to bank accounts, brokerage accounts and real property as joint tenants with right of survivorship. Joint ownership often comes about even … Continue reading A Big Mistake – Joint Ownership of Assets With Your Non-US Citizen Spouse →

PART I: What is Form W-8BEN, What is it Used For, Must I Complete It?

Lately, I have been fielding many questions about Form W-8 BEN, it’s brother, Form W-8BEN-E, and related family members Forms W-8ECI, W-8IMY, and W-8EXP. What are these things? And why are they giving you such a headache? Let’s set out some basics one step at a time. Today’s blog post will detail all the nuances … Continue reading PART I: What is Form W-8BEN, What is it Used For, Must I Complete It? →