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Category: Taxes

24 Jan
2013 Foreign Earned Income Exclusion

2013 Foreign Earned Income Exclusion

The most important tool in the U.S. expat’s tax toolbox is the foreign-earned income exclusion (referred to in tax-planning circles as the FEIE or ‘the exclusion’). If you qualify, it allows you to exclude up to US$97,600 in 2013 foreign-earned income from U.S. federal income tax.

03 Jan
Fiscal Cliff Tax Deal’s Implications For Americans Abroad

Fiscal Cliff Tax Deal’s Implications For Americans Abroad

What This Week's Fiscal Cliff Deal Means For Americans Overseas As it stands today, the 11th hour fiscal cliff deal approved earlier this week resulted in US$1 of spending cuts for every US$41 in tax increases, making it possibly the most one-sided victory since the Battle of Little Bighorn. By comparison, when President Ronald Regan [...]
15 Nov
In The Room With The Heaviest Hitters In The Offshore World

In The Room With The Heaviest Hitters In The Offshore World

How To Go Offshore: You Can Do It Yourself (Shocker) This week's Offshore Summit has been organized around a series of panel discussions, one for each of the Five Flags being considered. Yesterday morning, Mark Nestmann, one of the world's leading experts in offshore residency and second citizenship, led a panel discussion related to choosing [...]
25 Oct
Reporting Requirements For Americans With Offshore Bank Accounts

Reporting Requirements For Americans With Offshore Bank Accounts

Non-U.S. Banks Are Beginning To Comply With FATCA Regulations We knew it was coming. Non-U.S. banks are beginning to comply with IRS regulations under FATCA. A friend wrote yesterday to say that her bank in Belize has sent her a letter explaining what they are doing to comply with the FATCA requirements and a waiver [...]
30 Aug
Who Wants Egalite?

Tax Debates In France: Who Wants Egalite?

In doing further curiosity reading after my Monday dispatch to you about the current tax debates here in France, I found some hilarious comments posted on news sites discussing Hollande’s planned increase of the top marginal tax rate in France to 75%. The best was from a young lady who stated (I’m paraphrasing a bit): […]

27 Aug
Implications Of Hollande’s Tax Hikes In France

Implications Of Hollande’s Tax Hikes In France

Nevermind The Politicians Based in Paris the past few weeks, we've been getting questions from readers and friends about what we're going to do in the face of recently elected President Hollande's proposed big tax changes. Hollande plans to increase this country's top marginal tax bracket from 41% to 75% for income over €1 million [...]
13 Aug
It Is Not Illegal To Move Assets Offshore

It Is Not Illegal To Move Assets Offshore

Moving Isn't Hiding Some recent reader e-mails have me scratching my head. Some readers rail against me for writing about ways both to save taxes and to protect assets by moving them offshore. These readers seem fully to believe that these activities are illegal. The only thing I can think is that they are mis-merging [...]
12 Jul
Practical Tax And Filing Consequences Of New FATCA Legislation Taking Effect

Practical Tax And Filing Consequences Of New FATCA Legislation

FATCA Is Closing In.. The level of concern among Americans seems to be growing as the FATCA implementation deadline draws closer and more people are becoming more aware of the implications and possible consequences of this absurd legislation. The first consequence has to do with the 30% withholding when wiring funds to a non-U.S. bank [...]