The “United States Permanent Resident Card”, also known as a Green Card, as a work and residence permit for the USA of unlimited duration and as an immigration visa, constitutes an admission ticket to the USA. However, possession of a
In the midst of tough tax season, many U.S taxpayers are unfortunately surprised to discover that they have a U.S. tax reporting obligation on financial accounts or assets held overseas. Once they discover their tax and reporting obligation, there are
Earlier this week, the Indian Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved signing of an Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) between India and the U.S. for implementation of the U.S. Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA). Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley this
Last month US Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) introduced a budget amendment SA 621 to repeal the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) FATCA requires foreign financial institutions to disclose to the IRS about their U.S. customers’ accounts. The U.S. loses
With the IRS aggressively targeting taxpayers with unreported offshore accounts, tax professionals must know benefits and pitfalls of offshore accounts. Our firm presented technical seminars titled Navigating Foreign Waters: The Complex Requirements of Foreign Accounts Compliance on US tax laws to tax professionals on foreign account disclosure,
IR-2015-09, Jan. 28, 2015 WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today said avoiding taxes by hiding money or assets in unreported offshore accounts remains on its annual list of tax scams known as the “Dirty Dozen” for the 2015 filing
George Landegger, CEO of pulp and paper company, pleaded guilty last week in New York to a federal charge of failing to file a required report to the IRS about the account. He admitted that he maintained the undeclared account
The Internal Revenue Service announced this week the opening of the International Data Exchange Service (IDES) for enrollment. Financial institutions and host country tax authorities will use IDES to securely send their information reports on financial accounts held by U.S.
Last week a federal judge approved the IRS issuing “John Doe” summonses requiring FedEx, DHL, UPS, and numerous other intermediaries to produce information about U.S. taxpayers who used Sovereign Management & Legal Ltd. for offshore accounts and assets. They include
We just returned last week from attending the Criminal Fraud and Tax Controversy Conference in Las Vegas, sponsored by the American Bar Association Section of Taxation where many government officials were in attendance. Below are some interesting observations: On the
last month the IRS released more than 6,500 pages from the Internal Revenue Service on the agency’s Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program and how it trains its agents. The documents included material used in training IRS personnel in the Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program,
The Internal Revenue Service announced major changes in its offshore voluntary compliance programs, providing new streamlined filing compliance procedures to help both taxpayers residing overseas and those residing in the United States. The streamlined filing compliance procedures are game changers
Many clients are asking our office about the new compliance solutions to clean up past errors in disclosing foreign assets. In June 2014, the IRS announced major changes to its offshore voluntary compliance programs, providing new options to help taxpayers
US government fees charged to Americans for renouncing their citizenship will rocket from $450 to $2,350 on September 12, 2014. The fivefold increase is probably related to the recent dramatic rise in renunciations triggered by the US Foreign Account Tax Compliance
Many of our clients are interested in the new Streamlined Filing Compliance Procedures, which were recently announced by the IRS. Therefore, we are providing more general information on the Procedures. General Eligibility: The modified Streamlined Filing Compliance Procedures are designed for only
Taxpayers who are in the Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program to report their overseas assets can request the favorable penalty structure under newly expanded streamlined compliance procedures without giving up the audit and criminal liability protection offered by the OVDP, according
The IRS recently announced Streamlined Filing Compliance Procedures in an effort to encourage U.S. taxpayers to come into compliance with their reporting and filing requirements associated with varying interests in foreign financial accounts and assets. The streamlined procedures require the
Taxpayers should think carefully before entering a new Internal Revenue Service program titled Streamlined Filing Compliance Procedures for offshore-account holders whose conduct was not “willful”. On June 18th, the IRS announced significant changes to its limited-amnesty programs for U.S. taxpayers
The IRS announced substantial changes to both the Streamlined Filing Compliance Procedures for Non-Resident, Non-Filer Taxpayers and the Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program (OVDP) on June 18, 2014. Effective July 1, 2014, the IRS is making it easier for individuals to
The Internal Revenue Service announced last week changes to its programs for taxpayers with undeclared offshore accounts, the latest step in a five-year campaign against such accounts held by U.S. taxpayers. The modifications greatly eased penalties for people who were unaware
The United States’ IRS is moving to entice more taxpayers to disclose their unreported assets and income just weeks before implementation of the U.S. Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA). The IRS has announced a Streamlined Foreign Offshore Procedures (SFOP),
The IRS today made significant changes to its offshore voluntary compliance programs, with the intent of providing new options to help both taxpayers residing overseas and those residing in the United States. The agency says the changes are anticipated to provide
The IRS has announced a Streamlined Domestic Offshore Procedures (SDOP), which will significantly alter all future voluntary disclosures. The SDOP is a game changer for residents and non-resident (who would use the Streamlined Foreign Offshore Procedures (SFOP)) taxpayers alike. The
All taxpayers are reminded about FBAR reporting this year, as the process has changed. If you have a financial interest in or signature authority over a foreign financial account, including a bank account, brokerage account, mutual fund, trust, or other
The U.S. Department of Justice last Thursday issued a release stating that it extended for one month the deadline for so-called category two Swiss banks suspected of helping wealthy Americans evade taxes to turn over information by one month. We
While over 77,000 banks and financial institutions have registered under FATCA—the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, the Internal Revenue Service has introduced an online tool that will allow users to check on whether a foreign financial institution has registered for
The US government is putting pressure on Switzerland to end its tradition of “banking secrecy”, as part of a global crackdown on tax evasion. Since forcing UBS to pay a USD780 million fine in 2009 for helping US citizens evade
The U.S. Treasury announced that on April 11, 2014, India agreed “in substance” to sign a Model 1 FATCA Model Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) with the US. The IGA would therefore require Indian financial institutions to report information on U.S. account holders to
By April 30, 2014, unless granted a 60-day extension, all Swiss banks participating in the US Department of Justice (DOJ) amnesty program will be required to provide substantial client information on its US account holders. We have previously posted on
The Republican Party is expected to approve a resolution calling for repeal of an Obama administration law that is designed to crack down on offshore tax dodging. In what would be the party’s first appeal to scrap the law -the
