An individual residing in the US in G-IV visa status (“G-IV Taxpayer”) is generally taxed as a nonresident alien, even though the individual may live in the US for a number of years and even have his/her principal residence here. Generally, when individuals who meet certain requirements sell their principal residences, they receive an exclusion…
DetailsOn November, 14 2013, the US and France signed a bilateral agreement to implement the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA). The agreement is based on the Model 1A treaty and requires French financial institutions to report US account holders to the French government, which will then report those accounts to the US. Similarly, US financial institutions are required…
DetailsThe United States imposes different types of taxes, including income and estate and gift taxes. An individual’s tax liability to the US government depends on whether the individual is a US citizen or resident or a nonresident alien. US citizens and residents are taxed on their worldwide income for US income tax purposes and on…
DetailsRodriquez v. Commissioner, No. 12-60533 (July 5, 2013), aff’g 137 T.C. 14 (2011) ruled recently on whether inclusion of income under sections 951 and 956 (951 Inclusions) of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) may qualify for the preferential tax treatment afforded to qualified dividends, as defined by section 1(h)(11) of the IRC. The Fifth Circuit…
DetailsThe IRS applies different methodologies for calculating the gambling winnings of US taxpayers and Nonresident Aliens (NRAs). For US taxpayers, the IRS calculates earnings based on winnings over the course of a gambling session, while for NRAs the IRS has taken the position that gambling winnings should be calculated based on each bet. So, for…
DetailsUS persons are required to file Form 3520 if they create, transfer money to, receive distributions from, or are the owners of a foreign trust. While there is no tax liability associated with Form 3520, it is a complicated form and can be quite time consuming and expensive to prepare. As such, people avoid filing…
DetailsOn February 29, 2012 the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network’s (FinCen) published rules requiring the E-Filing of all Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) submissions. As of July 1, 2013, FinCen’s regulations require that all FBARs be filed electronically through the BSA E-File System. The E-File system is not difficult to navigate and the electronic FBAR is a…
DetailsBefore delving headfirst into the taxation of intellectual property, it is important to understand what constitutes intellectual property and how it relates to intangible property. Intangible property is any property that has no physical substance, and intellectual property is intangible property created by individual(s). While these terms are often used interchangeably, some types of intangible…
DetailsAfter publishing final rules regarding people reporting their signature authority over foreign financial accounts, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCen) received questions and comments about reporting for certain types of accounts. In response FinCen delayed the reporting requirement for individuals with signature authority over these types of accounts until June 30, 2012. The most problematic…
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