It is no easy ride being a stranger in a strange land, let alone a foreigner who owns assets across multiple tax jurisdictions around the globe. The myriad of differences between various countries’ regulations often causes headaches for those who are faced with complex and often convoluted and confusing inheritance and estate tax issues. For foreigners who call Japan “home,” this certainly can … [Read more...]
It seems that no American can avoid the United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS), even if he or she is a resident of Japan. All American expatriates who are living in Japan are required by law to file for taxes, regardless of where they live and even if they think they might not owe as much as a penny. Keep in mind that this does not necessarily mean that all Americans will end up owing money … [Read more...]
Japan is certainly an interesting country and, if you are a foreigner who has residence there, the experience is surely one that began with a bit of a cultural shock as there are so many differences in societal norms and in the living of simple, everyday life. Japan is unique in that it has both low birthrates (about 1.3 children per woman of child-bearing age) and astounding gains in life … [Read more...]
Congratulations! According to Japan’s tax agency, you might be too rich. Japan is implementing a new tax targeting those who are “wealthy” that is due to take effect by July this year. According to the wording of the legislation that will soon become law, (barring some kind of last-minute miracle), all who are considered by authorities to be permanent residents (and who own global financial … [Read more...]
If you own real estate in Canada, renting the properties out can be an effective way to make some money while you’re living abroad. The problem is the Canadian tax code can be a little strict when you’re a non-resident earning Canadian rental income. The good news is with some simple planning and paperwork you can minimize the taxes on your rental income so more of it stays in your … [Read more...]
Globalization has made the World much more connected. It’s much easier for people to move around and build new lives in different countries. Unfortunately, this freedom has given people more options to cheat on their taxes as well. To fight tax fraud, the IRS in the United States launched a new program to track money around the World. This program has created new reporting requirements for … [Read more...]
Income Tax in Japan - Tax Guide For Foreigners in Japan Calculating Your Tax Bill in Japan – A Guide for Expats Calculating how much you owe in taxes is challenging enough when you’re living at home. When you’re living abroad in Japan, it can feel pretty well impossible. The good news is that Japan uses a similar tax process as most Western countries. We’ve put together a straightforward guide … [Read more...]
When you’re living in Japan, you still need to protect your credit score back home. If you lose or damage your credit history while in Japan, it’s going to create problems when you go back. For example, you might struggle to qualify for a mortgage or car loan. Fortunately, it only takes a little bit of work to maintain your credit score while abroad. Keep your old credit cards active A big … [Read more...]
Japan Year-End Tax Adjustments Foreigners living and working in Japan who are accustomed to filing their income taxes might be surprised to learn that not every other country makes you do so. If you’re an employee working and living in Japan, you might be considered a resident, or “inhabitant,” for tax purposes, which means you may qualify for a streamlined procedure that takes you off the … [Read more...]
Recently on June 18, 2014 the IRS announced major modifications to its offshore voluntary compliance programs. These modifications were made to influence taxpayers to declare their overseas assets and to become compliant with current offshore regulations. These procedures are available to taxpayers residing in and outside the United States (penalties differ). Changes were made to both the … [Read more...]
