Poll: why do/did you stay in Taiwan?

I am just doing retail banking. I’ve only ever used one branch of one bank in Taiwan, though, so perhaps mine is the exception and I got lucky.

Tell your bank you’re a U.S. citizen interested in doing investments and see how it goes.

That’d be your fault for being American then :innocent:

Honestly your diatribe is going nowhere. No one else has had your experience.

4 Likes

They are well aware I’m a US citizen. I have no interest in investing in Taiwan.

The FACTA effect is real. If you’re an American, banking overseas requires you to jump through more hoops.

But this is not the show stopper some people here are making it out to be. You just need to talk to the right people if a young/inexperienced low-level bank employee doesn’t know how to deal with you.

1 Like

I think this is a kind of special case.

@Gain can be be at times a critic and at times a defender of Taiwan, and he is quite capable of employing irony, so sometimes his posts can be difficult to decipher. :slight_smile:

Came here for my ex. Got dumped by her because she said i am poor and cant be an english teacher. Then found a job .Then met another girl who supported me and didnt care i had no job, or i was not white, or my inability to have a fancy house or a fancy car or live in fancy area but love me for who i am.

“Stay with who stay with you when you are down”

8 Likes

That’s a win-win then because they won’t let you invest thru them. If you don’t have U.S. $10,000 or more in the bank here then you have no experience with FATCA and FBAR reporting requirements and you’re just a small fish.

FATCA EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, known as FATCA, was passed in 2010 as part of the HIRE act. FATCA requires foreign financial institutions (FFIs) such as local banks, stock brokers, hedge funds, insurance companies, trusts, etc. to report the accounts of all US citizens (living in the US and abroad), US “persons,” green card holders and individuals holding certain US investments, to the IRS or to the government of the bank’s country for further transmission to the US through Intergovernmental Agreements (IGAs) or be subject to a 30% withholding on their US investments.

FATCA also requires US citizens who have foreign financial assets in excess of $50,000 (higher for bona fide residents overseas – $200,000 for single filers and $400,000 for joint filers – see the IRS website for more details) to report those assets every year on a new Form 8938 to be filed with the 1040 tax return.

Many Americans residing overseas are reporting banking lock-out by some foreign financial institutions that have chosen to eliminate their US-person client base in order to minimize their exposure to FATCA reporting requirements, withholding fees and potential penalties.I

Yes, some banks have decided not to serve Americans because of FACTA. But certainly not all.

In terms of investing through a bank, what type of investments are you referring to?

I regularly have that much in my account. I fill out one very brief form each year through my employer.

[quote=“ThaiJuan, post:90, topic:202491, full:true”]

So you don’t file an FBAR every year?

Do I need to file?

You do if:

✓ You are a “US person” (i.e. US citizen, permanent resident, alien resident, or LLC/corporation)

✓ You have foreign financial accounts (bank, mutual fund, brokerage, trust, or other account) that you have financial interest in and/or signature authority over

✓ The total in these foreign bank accounts reached more than $10,000 at any point in 2018

>> Get Started Now <<

More Questions? Check out our FBAR FAQ >>>

What happens if I don’t file?

✓ Non-willful violations: $10,000 penalty

✓ Willful violations: $100,000 or 50% of the amount in the account, whichever is greater

https://www.efilefbar.org/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIx_373ZTa7gIVE1ZgCh0nCQ_yEAAYASAAEgJYjPD_BwE

But I’m an ugly, goofy-looking old guy. I don’t think a good attitude can make a dent in that.

I literally just told you, yes, I fill out the simple brief form annually for my employer’s HR department, who takes them all to the bank for us. (I have many American coworkers, so they save us the trip, probably so they don’t have to deal with the lost work hours of having all of us waiting in line during the work day.) It takes about 30 seconds a year.

I’m not trying to minimize your experience— I’m just saying mine has been different. I’m not sure why you seem so invested in convincing yourself that everyone has had the same negative experience you have apparently had.

You got lucky.
I’ve used dozens of branches in different cities and banks. I have at least ten bank accounts not including broking accounts. I guess I’m a high roller lol.

1 Like
2 Likes

Your company can’t file an FBAR for you any more than it can file your tax return for you. And it’s not a “simple, brief form” filed with a bank. It’s filed with the U.S. Treasury Department and requires your digital signature. Not filing one annually is a felony.

The impact of the ruling is that US persons with offshore accounts could be considered to have constructive notice of the FBAR requiremet simply by signing their US tax returns. Instead of having to prove a specific intent to “violate a known legal duty,” which other tax cases have upheld as the standard of willfulness, the opinion suggests that a taxpayer’s assumed understanding of the FBAR requirement may be enough to make them liable for penalties for willful violations.

You’re not a U.S. citizen.

1 Like

It sounds like I’m lucky to have so many fellow American coworkers in this case. Like the rest of you, I don’t have any choice in the bank my employer used to deposit my paycheck, but any bank that doesn’t want American customers probably isn’t going to be doing payroll deposits for a place that hires so many Americans. And I have no reason to have to deal with any other Taiwanese bank.

1 Like

…Yet :sunglasses::grin:

1 Like

Well, that’s how I file mine, as does everyone else I work with, so I don’t know what to tell you. :man_shrugging:t2: I sign a paper form. (Maybe it’s electronic now and HR just sends an email to remind us? If so, it’s so quick and painless that I don’t even remember.)