Cross-border tax issues, expat filing rules, and international tax policy — because taxes don’t stop at the U.S. border.
Yesterday, it was all anyone was talking about: the Panama Papers. And then the names spilled out: Messi. Ulloa. Putin. Cameron. It seemed that the Panama Papers were connected with a staggering number of high-profile names. But what, exactly, are the Panama Papers? Here’s what you need to know.
Ask The Taxgirl: Tax Forms, TurboTax & Offshore Accounts
More than 1 million Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (more commonly, FBARs) were filed in 2015, a record high. Under the Banking Secrecy Act (BSA) and Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA), US taxpayers with foreign accounts are under more scrutiny than ever.
What if, instead of a series of complicated bureaucracies issuing welfare checks, food stamps, and tax credits, social benefits were distributed to everyone without regard to income or employment status? That’s exactly what the government of Finland is contemplating. The Finnish government is investigating whether it might make good financial sense to make a tax-free…
On December 4, 2015, President Obama signed into law the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act, or “FAST Act.” The purpose of the bill was to provide long-term funding for transportation projects, including new highways. Also tucked into the bill were a few new tax laws: one, a requirement that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) use…
“[T]he European Commission’s verdict in the Starbucks case deviates from national law and the OECD’s system.” That was the reaction on Friday from Netherlands Ministry of Finance in response to the European Commission’s October ruling that “selective tax advantages” granted to Fiat in Luxembourg and to Starbucks in the Netherlands were improper. The Commission has…
Remember all those times your grandmother begged you to come visit? Apparently, some grandchildren in Austria didn’t visit… Whatever the reason, an Austrian grandmother went to great lengths to keep her family from getting her money, going so far as shredding €950,000 ($1,020,490 U.S.) just before she died. Not content to stop there, she also cut…
Earlier this year, Greece teetered on the brink of financial ruin. Unable to pay its debts, the country went begging to the Eurozone for another chance. Despite reservations from its colleagues, including an increasingly weary Chancellor Merkel in Germany, Greece was given that chance. This time, however, the deal came with strings – including stepping…
In 2014, the European Commission announced that it would formally investigate the tax structures and practices of a handful of companies including Apple (Ireland), Fiat Finance and Trade (Luxembourg), and Starbucks (Netherlands). The inquiry followed months of promises by world leaders to ensure tax compliance after not-so-shocking revelations that multinational companies were engaging in controversial…
Some Facebook users in the United Kingdom (UK) may be getting ready to put that rumored “dislike” Facebook button to use: the social media site paid just £4,327 ($6,643 US) in UK corporate tax in 2014. No, that’s not missing a few zeros. It’s really £4,327 ($6,643 US). To be clear: I paid more in…