Category: Residency

Portugal: New Rules For Portugal’s Golden Visa Residence Programme

In October 2012 Portugal launched its Golden Visa Residence Programme with the aim to provide prospective Non-EU foreign investors with the opportunity to take up residency in Portugal through investment. Recently, the Portuguese Parliament promulgated a set of new rules pertaining to this particular programme. The said rules are still… – Continue reading

Canada: Private Client Tax, Third Edition – Chapter: Canada

1. NON-TAX ISSUES 1.1 Domestic law 1.1.1 Briefly describe your legal system and its origins Canada is a federal state, with legislative powers divided between the federal and provincial governments. The federal government has legislative jurisdiction over issues concerning Canada as a whole, including foreign affairs, international trade, banking, telecommunications,… – Continue reading

QROPS for US Residents – FATCA & IRS Compliant

For British pension holders in the US, transferring into a Qualifying Recognised Overseas Pension Scheme (QROPS) is now commonplace. These pension solutions are widely accessible to all US residents or nationals who have accrued pensions from their time working in the UK, and are an invaluable aspect of financial planning… – Continue reading

Developments in the Luxembourg Financial Sector

The Luxembourg supervisory authority, the Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (CSSF), has recently issued FAQs regarding the immobilisation of bearer shares and units, as well as a press release to remind Luxembourg alternative investment fund managers (AIFMs) and non-EU AIFMs that market alternative investment funds (AIFs) in Luxembourg under… – Continue reading

Australia: US Citizens and Green Card Holders – the long arm of the IRS

You may be forgiven for thinking that once you no longer live in the United States, that your ongoing US tax obligations may be relatively simple or even non-existent, particularly if you have never held a US Passport or lived in the US. However the definition of US citizen is… – Continue reading

The Knowledge Congress Has Scheduled a Live Webcast on Emerging Issues: FATCA Goes Global Live Webcast

New York, NY, April 03, 2015 –(PR.com)– The Knowledge Group/The Knowledge Congress Live Webcast Series, brings together the world’s leading authorities and industry participants through informative two -hour webcasts. It has scheduled a live webcast entitled: “Emerging Issues: FATCA Goes Global LIVE Webcast” This two-hour event is scheduled on April… – Continue reading

Pensions, Taxes & Fatca: Finance Tips for British (& Other) Expats in the U.S.

We asked Vincenzo Villamena, a New York-based international tax adviser and certified public accountant with Online Taxman, and his British-expat client Ed Zitron of San Francisco, to share personal finance tips for expats, particularly those hailing from the U.K. Here are their top tips: 1. Mind your pensions & QROPS!… – Continue reading

Aussies working in Hong Kong should avoid these tax traps

Australians working in Hong Kong should be aware of the various complexities that affect their residency, super and tax status. Going overseas to work is a grand adventure for many professionals. But the way income earned outside your home country is taxed is a complex area, and it’s worth seeking… – Continue reading

Luxembourg: Luxembourg’s Direct Tax Administration Publishes Circular On Residency Certificates For Funds

Luxembourg’s Direct Tax Administration has published a circular on February 12 clarifying issues relating to residency certificates for Luxembourg funds. These are applicable to both UCITS and non-UCITS funds regulated by Luxembourg’s investment fund legislation of December 17, 2010, which transposed the UCITS IV Directive, as well as Specialised Investment… – Continue reading

BEPS Action Plan 15: Multilateral instrument for bilateral tax treaties

This article continues our series on the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) project, and the Action Plans that have so far been submitted, by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). We now look at Action Plan 15 on Developing a Multilateral Instrument to Modify Bilateral Tax Treaties…. – Continue reading

Developments in the Luxembourg financial sector

The Luxembourg supervisory authority, the Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (CSSF), has recently issued FAQs regarding the immobilisation of bearer shares and units, as well as a press release to remind Luxembourg alternative investment fund managers (AIFMs) and non-EU AIFMs that market alternative investment funds (AIFs) in Luxembourg under… – Continue reading

Territorial Tax Reform Won’t Curb Inversions: Study

Rather than installing a territorial tax system, the federal government should change U.S. securities rules, a law professor contends. Changing to a “territorial” tax system in the United States won’t ultimately stem the exodus of U.S.-based multinationals to lower-tax countries and could come at a significant cost in terms of… – Continue reading

Vincenzo Nibali avoids prison sentence over unpaid tax, says Italian press

Tour de France champion Vincenzo Nibali is reported to have avoided a potential six-month prison sentence after reaching an agreement with Italy’s tax authorities over undeclared income. The Astana rider failed to declare income totalling €772,000 for 2010 and 2011, which would have incurred a tax liability of €290,000, reports… – Continue reading

Foreign landlords in Turkey need to file taxes by March 25

Where applicable, foreign landlords with property in Turkey are required to file tax returns to Turkish financial authorities by March 25 The tax treatment of income elements earned by foreigners from any source of income usually tops the international tax agenda and is extensively debated worldwide by experts, academics and… – Continue reading

Doing business in NZ: taxation

New Zealand has a broad-based tax system consisting principally of: income tax fringe benefit tax resident and non-resident withholding tax (RWT and NRWT) goods and services tax (GST) Accident Compensation levies import tariffs and miscellaneous excise duties, and local authority rates on property. Stamp duty, gift duty and death duties… – Continue reading

Canada: Case Study: Temporary Assignment Of An Employee From Canada To The United States

This article is the first in a series of four parts that will examine the Canadian and U.S. income tax implications when an employee employed by a Canadian entity is assigned temporarily to work in the U.S. This first article focuses on the importance of the determination of “residency” for… – Continue reading

Guernsey: Taxing Times For Non-Resident Members Of Guernsey Section 150 Occupational Pension Schemes

With effect from 1 January 2015, The Income Tax (Guernsey) Law, 1975 was amended so that non-Guernsey residents will now be taxed on their pension benefits paid from an occupational pension scheme approved under section 150 of the Law, irrespective of whether they have performed services in Guernsey or not…. – Continue reading

Tax residency tweak may hit Indian firms with overseas operations

Foreign subsidiaries may now have to pay tax both in India and the country of their operations At present, a company incorporated outside India is considered a tax resident only if the control and management of its affairs is situated wholly in India. Photo: Pradeep Gaur/Mint New Delhi: A budget… – Continue reading

Everything U.S. Expats Need to Know About IRS Tax Forms (But Were Afraid to Ask)

This is the time of the year for millions of Americans to begin the annual ritual of gathering information about income, taxes, charitable giving, health insurance, expenses and sundry other items, and prepare to send mountains of information to the IRS –and to those who prepare their tax returns. Overseas… – Continue reading

‘The age of financial privacy is over’

Jonathan Weiss hasn’t lived in the US for 25 years. But that didn’t keep his foreign bank account from being frozen in the wake of new US tax laws. Find out how you can avoid the same fate at the hands of FATCA. “I had been living in Switzerland for… – Continue reading

How an Obscure Tax Loophole Brought Down Obama’s Treasury Nominee

(Bloomberg) -– So how did the previously obscure term tax inversions become part of Washington parlance, fodder for the next presidential campaign and the issue that helped derail a U.S. Treasury nominee? Thank, or blame, depending on your perspective, cutting-edge tax lawyers, populist Democrats, a banana seller, a drugmaker, a… – Continue reading

American expats in Canada who sell their house might face IRS taxes

Americans residing in Canada may not realize the extent to which the U.S. government’s tax-filing rules for non-resident citizens hit home. There’s been a lot of attention in recent years on how U.S. citizens in Canada are being targeted by the Internal Revenue Service. Lost in all the commotion is… – Continue reading

China’s Fiscal Roadmap: Tax Like America

Jurisdictionally speaking, the Internal Revenue Code attempts to cast a broad net. The United States taxes its citizens’ income on a worldwide basis, regardless of residency. As every American expat knows all too well, this means overseas earnings must be reported to the IRS as taxable income. It matters not… – Continue reading

Overseas Chinese to get taxed

Chinese nationals and companies operating overseas, who hold their fortunes outside of China, will soon be required to pay taxes on their worldwide earnings come Feb 1. Part of Beijing’s New Year resolution to crack down on tax avoidance and evasion, the general anti-avoidance rule (GAAR) and new penalties will… – Continue reading

Tax Planning Considerations for the Purchase of a Residence in the U.S. by Foreign Buyers

Many factors influence a foreign buyer’s decision to purchase residential real estate in the United States. Generally, most of these decisions tend to be driven by concerns over political and economic uncertainty in the buyer’s home country. Most foreigners do not leave their home country, family, and friends for trivial… – Continue reading

Foreigner premium’ property taxes highest in Singapore and Hong Kong

Overseas property buyers have to pay significantly more tax than domestic buyers in Singapore and Hong Kong, making them the most costly places for foreigners to invest in residential real estate in Asia Pacific, says Knight Frank Singapore and Hong Kong are the most costly places for a foreigner to… – Continue reading

Shareholders Approve Medtronic-Covidien Deal

Medtronic Inc. took one step closer to becoming an Irish company when shareholders voted in favor of acquiring Dublin-based medical supply maker Covidien Ltd. Covidien shareholders similarly voted on the deal early today and also approved it. The acquisition now goes before the Irish High Court, which may take several… – Continue reading