Legislation

SEC votes 3 to 1 in favor of 'Regulation Best Interest,' as debate over its merits continues

As expected, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday approved a package of controversial new rules governing the way "broker/dealers" will sell their investment products after June 30, 2020, as debate about the merits of the new regime – and whether it goes far enough – continued across the country,…

June 5, 2019
Legislation
By Helen Burggraf

Now two House Democrats speak out on behalf of expat tax reform

Two Democratic members of the House of Representatives on Tuesday submitted written statements to the House Ways & Means Committee in Washington, in which they called on its members to respond to the global call for tax reform by 9 million Americans currently living overseas.

June 4, 2019
Legislation
By staff writer

Members of the Democrats Abroad's Taxation Task Force during their recent visit to Washington, D.C. Carmelan Polce is third from the right.

Dems Abroad reported in talks with Virginia Congressman Beyer on expat issues

The Democrats Abroad, the official organization of the Democratic Party for American citizens living permanently or temporarily outside of the U.S., has reported that it is in discussions with Virginia Rep. Don Beyer on a range of issues, including residence-based taxation (RBT).

May 25, 2019
Legislation
By Helen Burggraf

IRS’s Taxpayer Advocate wades into free tax forms issue

Soon-to-retire National Taxpayer Advocate Nina Olson has stepped into a growing debate in the U.S. about whether the IRS should expand an existing option to enable taxpayers with simple tax matters to file their federal returns online, and for free.

April 19, 2019
Legislation
By staff writer

Controversial U.S. bill over free tax-filing services seen unlikely to matter much to non-resident taxpayers

Approval this week by the House of Representatives of legislation that would bar the U.S. Internal Revenue Service from offering taxpayers a free suite of tax preparation software is not being seen as an issue that would greatly affect American taxpayers currently resident overseas.

April 12, 2019
Legislation
By staff writer

U.S. expats in EU: ‘Prepare for PRIIPS and KIDs regs’

Since 2010, the main regulatory changes American expatriates have had to worry about have come almost exclusively from the United States. That’s about to change, at least for many American expats who currently live in European Union countries, according to Keith Poniewaz, director of International Advisory Services for Madison, Wisconsin-based…

April 1, 2019
Legislation
By Keith Poniewaz

Comment: Cayman, the EU, and the challenges of attempting to appease a 'multi-headed hydra'

Of the 21 jurisdictions included on a "blacklist" of financial centers that the Dutch government said last week it considers to be low-tax potential tax havens, few have reacted with as much fury and indignance as the Cayman Islands – at least to judge by the comments that have been posted…

January 3, 2019
Legislation
By Anthony Travers

Tax specialist Olivier Wagner; retired expat businessman Jim Gosart; Republicans Overseas CEO Solomon Yue; and Toronto-based tax lawyer John Richardson

Breaking: Congressman Holding scrapes through with ‘Tax Fairness for Americans Abroad Act’

With just hours to go before most of the United States was due to close down for the Christmas holiday, Congressman George Holding today at last delivered a long-anticipated bill aimed at addressing the enormous problems many Americans living abroad have been having that are a result, most agree, of…

December 20, 2018
Legislation
By Helen Burggraf

Expat eyes back on rumored tax bill-sponsor Holding, as he keeps seat in House

The re-election last week of House of Representatives member George Holding has revived talk about whether he will go through with his rumoured plans to introduce legislation aimed at making the U.S. tax regime less unforgiving for the millions of Americans estimated to live overseas.

November 7, 2018
Legislation
By Helen Burggraf

American Citizens Abroad calls on House committee to end worldwide taxation of U.S. expats

The American Citizens Abroad has called on an influential U.S. congressional committee to end the current system of taxing U.S. expatriates on the basis of their citizenship, as part of the committee's planned revisions of last December’s sweeping tax reform bill.

November 4, 2018
Legislation
By staff writer

Legislation to help American expats imminent, London audience told

Legislation that its proponents say would significantly improve the lot of American expatriates, many of whom have been left reeling by the Trump tax reforms introduced at the end of last year, will be introduced in Congress before the end of the month.

September 24, 2018
Legislation
By Helen Burggraf

More...

Israel-based American overseas tax advocate issues ‘call to action’

A U.S. tax law specialist based in Israel is calling for those Americans abroad and in the U.S. impacted by Washington’s recently-introduced Repatriation/GILTI tax regime to let the U.S. Treasury and IRS know of their concern by October 7 – anonymously.

September 16, 2018
Legislation
By Helen Burggraf

Non-partisan discussion set for London on efforts to end U.S. citizen-based tax regime

A panel discussion that will consider recent and growing efforts to convince U.S. lawmakers to end America’s increasingly-unpopular “citizenship-based” tax regime is set to take place at a venue in the Mayfair district of London, on the 18th of September.

September 12, 2018
Legislation
By Helen Burggraf

Europe’s ‘accidental Americans’ are latest to seek backing of their local gov’ts against U.S.

The efforts by Fabien Lehagre’s Association des Américains Accidentels and other Europe-based groups of accidental Americans to seek the assistance of their local governments in their battle against the U.S.’s extraterritorial tax claims on them are the latest in a number of similar campaigns in recent years by other similar…

July 11, 2018
Legislation
By Helen Burggraf