Virginia La Torre Jeker, J.D. — US tax matters affecting international clients
We’ve known for some time that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has been mining heaps of data provided to it by financial institutions that were the subject of non-prosecution agreements, as well as examining treasure troves of financial information from various leaks (think “Panama Papers”) looking not only for tax dollars, interest and penalties but … Continue reading Dangerous Liaisons: Foreign Assets and the US Nominee
Most of my readers have heard about Internal Revenue Code Section 965, and the “deemed repatriation” or “transition tax” introduced by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“TCJA”). My earlier blog post provided significant detail about this tax law provision which was intended to move the US international tax regime into a “territorial system”. In making … Continue reading IRS Eye on You! Newest Campaign: Repatriation Tax (IRC Section 965)
Here in the Middle East where I have been practicing for almost two decades, I have seen that it is very common for families to create offshore structures in various countries (outside the USA) to hold a large portion of the family wealth. The underlying reasons for maintaining these structures outside of the family’s home … Continue reading OOOOPS! I Received a Gift from a Foreign Corporation (or Foreign Partnership)
Most of my readers are aware of the “attorney-client privilege”. Generally speaking, the privilege preserves the confidentiality of communications between a lawyer and her clients. When the privilege is in place, attorneys may not divulge their clients’ secrets and cannot be "forced" to divulge them (for example, in a court proceeding or to the Internal … Continue reading Attorney-Client Privilege & John Doe: Your Secret Is Safe … But Your Identity Isn’t!
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
Regular readers of my tax blog will not be surprised by the title of this post and the content it hints at delivering. They likely realize by now that the American person abroad is not looked upon favorably by the US tax laws. The tax laws look at anything “foreign” with a jaundiced eye when … Continue reading US Tax Law to American Abroad – “How Do I Hate Thee, Let Me Count the Ways”
Americans in Dubai / Singapore – If you are not tax compliant, time is really running out. As reported by Bloomberg on March 8th, an official with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Criminal Investigation (CI) unit announced at a Washington DC Federal Bar Association event that CI is considering Dubai and Singapore as its "next … Continue reading Dubai (and Singapore) – Now IRS Targets for Offshore Investigations
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) just issued proposed Regulations dealing with the “Deduction for Foreign-Derived Intangible Income and Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income (“GILTI”)”. The proposed regulations mark a big win for Americans running their businesses through foreign corporations. The regulations are scheduled to be published in the Federal Register tomorrow. In part, they address the … Continue reading Americans Abroad: Taxpayer GILTI Victory Just Announced in Proposed Regulations!
My earlier blog post introduced readers to the concepts of so-called CFCs and PFICs and some of the downsides of owning a "foreign" corporation. It analogized to quicksand simply because it is very easy to be swallowed up in harsh tax results and onerous reporting obligations if planning is not undertaken beforehand. I will remind … Continue reading US Owners of Foreign Corporations – Beware the Downsides
It is usually very quick and easy to set up a foreign corporation - say, one in Belize or in the Cayman Islands. What is not so easy is working one's way through the quagmire of required Internal Revenue Service (IRS) reporting and US tax obligations simply because you are a US person owning shares … Continue reading Quicksand! US Owners of Foreign Corporations
