Cross-border tax issues, expat filing rules, and international tax policy — because taxes don’t stop at the U.S. border.
One of the biggest criticisms of most governments is that they are inefficient. It’s not usual for tax returns and other correspondence to get bogged down in bad or incomplete addresses, insufficient postage or processing issues. Singapore hopes to change all of that. The government is giving all citizens, foreign residents and businesses an email…
Despite opposition from the G-20 to a global bank tax, the UK will move ahead with its own version of the tax. Chancellor George Osborne is widely expected to include the tax in his June 22 budget. The tax, which is similar to the one proposed in the US, would be levied on banks in…
A special panel of the Swiss Parliament has concluded its 15 month investigation into the government’s handling of what has been referred to as a “tax crisis”: the UBS collapse amid allegations of tax evasion. The panel has heavily criticized the government for its response to the crisis, saving its harshest rebukes for Finance Minister…
Ah, Ireland. Land of leprechauns, rainbows and… low corporate taxes. That’s right: Ireland is a tax haven. Over the past few years, Ireland has been taking increasing heat from its near neighbors and the US for its perceived efforts to lure corporations to the Emerald Isle. Already facing criticism from many in the UK, Ireland…
Update: We have a winner! It’s Emily! For the answer, see the comments! Our next tax trivia question for the giveaway is: A few years ago, the tax laws in a certain country were changed to benefit wealthy foreigners. The law became known as Beckham’s Law, or Beckham’s Tax, because footballer David Beckham was one…
Update: We have a winner! It’s Chad! For the answer, see the comments! Our next tax trivia question for the giveaway is: This year, thanks to UBS, the Bank Secrecy Act has gotten a lot of press. Under the Act, each US person must file a Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR) if…
On January 12, a massive earthquake struck Haiti. The earthquake measured 7.0 on the Richter Scale. Devastating aftershocks followed. The confirmed death toll is 150,000 people and the Red Cross estimates that nearly 3 million people will be affected by the disaster. By comparison, Hurricane Katrina, considered to be the largest natural disaster in the…
A federal judge has declined Bradley Birkenfeld’s request for leniency. Birkenfeld must report to prison on Friday, January 8, as scheduled, to serve his 40-month prison term. Birkenfeld pleaded guilty last year to helping many of his clients, including billionaire Igor Olenicoff, evade taxes. Olenicoff pleaded guilty in 2007 to filing a false tax return;…
What would it take for you to turn in your clients? Would 30% of the take do it? What if it meant jail time? These are all things that Bradley Birkenfeld must have considered before approaching the IRS two years ago to turn in tax cheats at UBS. And he did it anyway. Now, Birkenfeld…
Today, the IRS published the “Prepared Remarks of Commissioner Douglas Shulman before the 22nd Annual George Washington University International Tax Conference.” You can read the whole speech here. But for those of you who don’t have the time to read the 2703 word speech, here’s a summary: Shulman started out with an update on three…