Virginia La Torre Jeker, J.D. — US tax matters affecting international clients
Rich Americans (or foreigners with US assets), it's time to wake up and smell the coffee! Why? I am seeing more and more individuals with influence pushing for a change in the US tax laws so that wealth inequality becomes a thing of the past. Whether you agree with this position is not the point … Continue reading Rich Americans…. Time to Wake Up!
I have been keeping readers up to date with the current controversy surrounding imposition of an FBAR penalty for “willful” violations – is it limited to a $100,000 cap or can the penalty, if greater, be assessed at 50% of the value of the unreported account? More detailed background on this issue is available at my … Continue reading Seriously? IRS Assesses US$5.1 Million FBAR Penalty for “Signature Authority”
This post is a sequel to "Expatriation – Giving up US Citizenship – Will I be Banned from Re-entering the USA?" my earlier blog post analyzing the so-called "Reed Amendment". As discussed in that post, since the statutory language of the Reed Amendment applies only to those who “officially renounce” United States citizenship it may be … Continue reading Divorcing the United States: Two Methods – Renunciation and Commission of an Expatriating Act with “Intent”
Well, the numbers of individuals renouncing US citizenship is apparently reaching epic proportions. It has been reported that 5,816 Americans gave up their citizenship in the first six months of 2020 and that this represents a 1,210% increase from the prior six months ending December 2019, when only 444 cases were recorded. Most clients I … Continue reading Expatriation Numbers Skyrocket! Giving up US Citizenship – Will I be Banned from Re-entering the USA?
Since the early 1970’s the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) has been requiring US taxpayers to report certain foreign financial accounts and retain detailed records about them. Many individuals now know about the notorious “FBAR” (FinCEN Form 114, Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts). It comes as a surprise to many, however, to learn that the … Continue reading MAJOR FBAR WIN for the Taxpayer! Penalty is Per FBAR Form, Not Per Account
It’s been awhile since I have blogged about our friend, Mr. FBAR. For those of you who are not familiar with his nickname, you may know him by his more formal moniker “Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts” (FinCEN Form 114). He springs from Title 31 of the Bank Secrecy Act (not the Internal … Continue reading FBAR “Willfulness” – Fifty Shades of Gray
We know that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has been investigating tax evasion and other crimes tied to cryptocurrency. The agency has been hard at work for some time in scrutinizing crypto and for the past two years, it has been in the process of developing and executing investigation techniques to enforce cryptocurrency compliance. Along … Continue reading IRS Wants Help on Cryptocurrency Audits – Seeks Private Crypto Gurus
Last week's blog post discussed the home office tax deduction and burst the bubble for many who were working at home for months under COVID-19 restrictions. Unfortunately, as discussed in that earlier post, this tax break cannot be used by an individual who is an “employee” as opposed to "self-employed". This restriction is a result … Continue reading COVID-19: Is Employer Provided Assistance due to the Pandemic Taxable Income? What if the Employer is “Foreign”?
The Bureau of Economic Affairs (BEA) is a division of the US Department of Commerce. The BEA administers the so-called Form BE-10 survey, which is an intensive information gathering tool of the US government. The BE-10 is used to collect information on how US persons are investing abroad and on foreign investment in the US. … Continue reading WAKE UP CALL: Form BE-10
Recently I was asked by another tax professional to discuss all things related to an entity called a “foundation” and I realized it would make for an interesting tax blog post. A foundation is a creature of a country’s statutory law, but foundations are not well understood in common law jurisdictions, such as the United … Continue reading The Flexible “Foundation” – It’s Becoming a Thing!
Virginia - US TAX TALK 