How do Estate Tax Treaties Work? They Don’t if the Decedent is a US Citizen or Domiciliary

My recent blog posts here, here and here have been examining the US estate tax and its impact on foreign investors in the US. The posts explored estate tax basics, the concepts of “domicile”, ”situs” of assets, the troublesome Federal Transfer Certificate and the paltry estate tax exemption of USD60,000 given to non-US non-domiciliaries for … Continue reading How do Estate Tax Treaties Work? They Don’t if the Decedent is a US Citizen or Domiciliary →

US Estate Tax – What is “Situs”? Location of Assets Makes a World of Difference

My recent and upcoming blog posts are examining the US estate tax and how it often comes as an unwelcome surprise to the foreign investor in the US and to the foreign heirs when the investor passes away. The family is often left to clean up the mess if the investor has not properly planned … Continue reading US Estate Tax – What is “Situs”? Location of Assets Makes a World of Difference →

The Real World: When Foreigners Die Owning US Assets – Estate Tax, Federal Transfer Certificate and Related Troubles

My recent blog posts (e.g. here, and here) emphasized how important it is for Americans who are investing in foreign (non-US) assets to understand the US tax consequences of making that investment. Far too often I have seen individuals invest substantial amounts of money without knowing the tax impact of that infusion of hard-earned cash. … Continue reading The Real World: When Foreigners Die Owning US Assets – Estate Tax, Federal Transfer Certificate and Related Troubles →

“Qualified Dividend Income”: How do the Rules Apply to “Controlled Foreign Corporations?” (Part I)

Today’s post continues to explore the interplay between foreign corporations and the US shareholder’s ability for lower tax rates available only for "qualified dividends". It's a complicated topic. Not all dividends are treated the same and the nuances can make a big difference to the taxpayer’s ultimate investment return. As detailed in my earlier blog … Continue reading “Qualified Dividend Income”: How do the Rules Apply to “Controlled Foreign Corporations?” (Part I) →

Tis the Season! Giving / Getting Gifts from a Foreign Entity?

Holidays are soon upon us, and many people will be making gifts to family and friends. It is very common to make gifts of cash – typically sending funds from a bank account to the recipient’s account. When gifts are made by foreign persons to US persons, there are many US tax traps for both … Continue reading Tis the Season! Giving / Getting Gifts from a Foreign Entity? →

Billionaires Income Tax On the Way & Covered Expats are Hit Hardest of All

If you or your clients are really (really) wealthy (more than $100 million in annual income or more than $1 billion in assets) and thinking about expatriation (relinquishing US citizenship or a green card as a long-term resident), the time is now. Even if not super wealthy, the newly proposed Billionaires Income Tax should serve … Continue reading Billionaires Income Tax On the Way & Covered Expats are Hit Hardest of All →

Tax Planning – “Foreign/International” Annual Inflation Adjustments Coming in 2024

Revenue Procedure 2023-34 was released by the IRS on November 9, 2023. It provides full details about the annual inflation adjustments that are important in the world of US tax and impact over 60 tax provisions in the Internal Revenue Code ("Code"), including tax rate schedules and many other tax changes. Tax pro’s have been … Continue reading Tax Planning – “Foreign/International” Annual Inflation Adjustments Coming in 2024 →

Foreign Partnerships with a US Partner? Some Planning Ideas

An earlier blog post explained how easy it is for the foreign person to fall into some nasty US tax traps when entering a foreign partnership with a US person. Even if that foreigner never sets foot in America and works solely from the foreign location, he can end up paying US taxes. In addition, … Continue reading Foreign Partnerships with a US Partner? Some Planning Ideas →

The New York Times, USSCt Justice Clarence Thomas, Juicy Gifts & the Tax Lessons!

Sometimes I like to bring up issues occurring strictly in the USA and take a peek at how the US tax rules would shake out if foreigners were involved in the transactions. It always makes for a much more complicated analysis. Here is one for today! Let’s look at the juicy story of Justice Clarence … Continue reading The New York Times, USSCt Justice Clarence Thomas, Juicy Gifts & the Tax Lessons! →

Tax Court Petition Filed Late? Taxpayer Beats the Clock with Third Circuit Decision

You may remember from my last post that for the Swiss (I know them so well, being married to one for almost 4 decades), punctuality is not merely a nicety, or a bonbon in the huge dessert buffet of life. Punctuality is highly valued and de rigueur. So it is with the US tax rules when … Continue reading Tax Court Petition Filed Late? Taxpayer Beats the Clock with Third Circuit Decision →