The Tax Heat is On
At the recent American Bar Association meeting held on January 29, 2016, the acting Attorney General for the tax division disclosed that the IRS and US Department of Justice are now focusing bank investigations in
New IRS guidance Announced for IRS Streamlined Offshore Procedures.
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
New FBAR Deadlines and Penalty Relief available
The US Surface Transportation and Veterans Health Care Choice Improvement Act of 2015 (the Act) has changed the filing date for the Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR), electronically filed with the Financial
Protective Filing of Information Returns
There is an increased focus by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) on offshore activities. There are tax return and information return filing obligations that may be associated with foreign income, assets and transactions. Many taxpayers
What FATCA Means to You and Your Investments
You may have recently received a letter from your financial institution or investment firm asking for some of your personal details. Typically the letter requests many personal, tax and residency details, such as your country
ABA COMMENTS ON THE 2014 OFFSHORE VOLUNTARY DISCLOSURE PROGRAM AND THE STREAMLINED PROGRAMS
We are members of the American Bar Association Section of Taxation, which recently submitted comments to the IRS on the IRS Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program (“OVDP”), the Streamlined Domestic Offshore Program (“SDOP”), and the Streamlined Foreign Offshore
Top myths of US tax compliance for Foreign Accountholders
There is a lot of misinformation so we decided to debunk the top myths of US tax compliance. Myth #1: I don’t have to file US taxes if I live abroad. The US is one
File a Protective Claim for Refund for Possible OVDP Opt Out Cases
In 2009, the IRS had introduced an Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Initiative/Program (OVDI/OVDP). In following years, the program was reintroduced and revised. When it comes to addressing offshore filing deficiencies, several issues exist in connection with
New FBAR Deadline applies to 2016 Tax Year Onwards
On July 31, 2015, President Obama signed into law P.L. 114-41, which included a number of tax provisions, one of which changes the deadline for filing the Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FinCEN Form
FATCA Deadlines Extended
Many of our tax-noncompliant clients are fearful of being involuntary discovered through the impending FATCA disclosures of their foreign accounts by their foreign banks. The Internal Revenue Service has issued a notice extending the time
IRS delinquent FBAR submission procedure
Last spring, the IRS revised its program for delinquent FBAR returns. The IRS offers a new “delinquent FBAR submission procedure”. See below excerpt from the IRS website.The program is available if you properly reported on
Top FBAR Reporting Error
The most common FBAR reporting mistake is simply failing to file. Some U.S. persons continue to deliberately conceal assets in secret offshore bank accounts in the hope of evading U.S. tax authorities. In many other