A Dangerous Game: Jail Time for Inherited Foreign Accounts

You may remember my earlier blog post detailing the unenviable case of the wealthy New York Seggerman family which had undisclosed offshore bank accounts inherited from their father. Instead of coming clean and revealing the existence of the accounts to the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS), four of the Seggerman siblings created even more secret … Continue reading A Dangerous Game: Jail Time for Inherited Foreign Accounts

Getting an ITIN When Overseas: Help!

Today's post looks at the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) options available to taxpayers residing abroad who need an “Individual Taxpayer Identification Number” (ITIN) to fulfill their US tax filing duties.  There are 3 basic options (i) mailing the completed Form W-7, “Application for Individual Taxpayer Identification”, and required identification documents to the IRS (ii) … Continue reading Getting an ITIN When Overseas: Help!

Corporate Veil Dropping: British Crown Dependencies Make Beneficial Ownership Registers Public, US Takes Baby Steps

Why should anyone care about government-mandated beneficial ownership registers for legal entities? Why might a multinational enterprise have concerns with such registers? Current news tells us more and more of them are in the works. After years of dragging their heels, and to the surprise of many in the international community, the British Crown Dependencies … Continue reading Corporate Veil Dropping: British Crown Dependencies Make Beneficial Ownership Registers Public, US Takes Baby Steps

US Tax Filings by US Grantor of Foreign Trust

Today's post is a continuation of a series of blog posts dealing with foreign trusts A general overview of the US tax issues surrounding foreign trusts can be found here. When a US person is involved in any way with a foreign trust extra caution is required.  Strict US tax filing responsibilities come into play … Continue reading US Tax Filings by US Grantor of Foreign Trust

Expatriation: Deferring Payment of the Exit Tax

I recently blogged about the debate between Prof. Edward Zelinsky and John Richardson as it pertained to the Exit Tax imposed on so-called "covered expatriates".  This was in the broader context of the US income taxation model which is based on one's "citizenship" rather than one's residence. The thrust of my earlier blog post concerned … Continue reading Expatriation: Deferring Payment of the Exit Tax

Americans Overseas: Timely Filing of Tax Returns and Other Documents With the IRS

Quite often, US taxpayers living in a foreign country are faced with tight deadlines for filing their paper tax returns.  They are often confused as to how to send these physical documents to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and be considered to have sent them in a timely fashion when the foreign (i.e., non-US) post … Continue reading Americans Overseas: Timely Filing of Tax Returns and Other Documents With the IRS

Exit Tax – A Comment on Richardson / Zelinsky Debate on Citizenship Based Taxation

Recently, a debate took place on the merits of the United States' income tax regime which is based on "citizenship".  This lively debate was between the esteemed John Richardson (a US and Canadian attorney) and Professor Edward Zelinsky (a tax scholar and professor at Cardozo Law School in New York City).  You can watch the … Continue reading Exit Tax – A Comment on Richardson / Zelinsky Debate on Citizenship Based Taxation

OOOPS! I Created a “Foreign” Trust

My earlier blog post set out the tax problems that arise when one has created a "foreign" trust with US beneficiaries.  This post will probe the factors used to determine whether a trust is a US trust or a “foreign” trust. It will also point out a possible pitfall for many families who have members … Continue reading OOOPS! I Created a “Foreign” Trust

It’s About Time! Clearer Tax Guidance for Cryptocurrency…. on the Way

Internal Revenue Service (IRS) commissioner Charles Rettig announced that the IRS plans to issue further guidance on the taxation of cryptocurrency.   Commissioner Retting wrote that “We have been considering these issues and intend to publish guidance addressing these and other issues soon.” Can it be? Is an "IRS rescue" really on the way? Will it … Continue reading It’s About Time! Clearer Tax Guidance for Cryptocurrency…. on the Way

A No-Go — Foreign Trust with A US Beneficiary

Often, persons living abroad are asked to help care for an elderly parent who lives in the USA.  Similar situations can arise for other family members, some of whom may be US citizens living outside of America, but who need assistance due to age or health-related issues. Quite often the care required is simply a … Continue reading A No-Go — Foreign Trust with A US Beneficiary