As far as I am aware, while Americans are required to file, most middle-income people will not end up owing anything to the US.
It’s 126,000usd a year AFAIK however, it is still annoying for both banks and the individual to deal with regardless of if you actually pay a dime or not.
Yeah. Relatively few are making that in TW. With stimi cheques and such included, you’re paying negative taxes.
I’d say that the US also belongs to the group of countries that benefits quite a bit from issuing visas to students (related: Australia : International students are cash cows? ) and to workers ( related: TSMC announces US semiconductor fab plans (May 2020) ).
Of course, the US could threaten to suspend visa-free travel for Taiwanese citizens as a bargaining instrument - but probably Taiwan would retaliate. This would severely affect travel-bloggers from the US who could no longer produce high-quality videos about night market food in Taiwan 
Except there’s no penalty to not filing if you don’t owe anything, so… (I don’t think my parents have filed since moving back to Taiwan - 2 decades ago)
Taiwanese need to apply for at least esta beforehand. Not exactly like visa free entry US citizens have when entering Taiwan
Do you have more than 10,000USD combined in all of your foreign accounts? If yes, you need to file an FBAR
We were talking filing taxes; while fbar is due the same date, it’s not filing taxes nor is it filed with your taxes. But no, they keep pretty much everything in US accounts and withdrawal fee free via a Schwab account, so don’t file fbar either.
No wonder why banks in Taiwan can’t be bothered with U.S. clients then!
It goes to the same office at the same time, doesn’t it? Consider it a part of the tax return.
The one that goes on your tax return is 8938, 5471, and many others depending on if you’ve been naughty and invested money at a foreign financial institution. They are due even with $0 tax owed. 5471 is like 50 pages of tax returns per foreign company you are running?
Yea, business related stuff always get more complicated. Not quite in cobtext of the discussion, but good info.
Yeh, you know how much extra paperwork an Canadian owned business in Taiwan would do? Nil, not a tax resident.
8938, 8621 are both for personal. If you have to file one form it triggers filing requirement for all the forms and the full tax return. It’s quite a headache.
Yes, there are many ways to legally pay $0 US tax while living abroad while effectively having a income above the reporting limit, but that’s off topic
You specifically mentioned 5471 as being burdensome; that’s for significant interest in a foreign business, no? Like most not owing money due to income limits, 8938 probably doesn’t apply to most Americans in Taiwan.
Americans with a US employer or US business have to pay FICA and self-employment taxes (~15%) and foreign tax credits don’t offset those. Those with a TW company and make themselves an employee have full tax filing requirements.
We were talking about obligations to file, and I think only Americans under certain situations (unemployed, low income, working for a TW company that they do not own) do not have to file.
Way back here when we started, we were talking about those falling under the exclusion threshold. That seems like it’s mostly be employed by local, not high end employers. Also the unemployed (and most retired) I guess. 
Stop the presses everybody,
https://www.reddit.com/r/expats/comments/1imuoqf/expatriation_from_usa_is_not_a_fundamental/
Under Taiwan’s rules, if we can’t give up our US citizenship, then we are entitled to dual nationality!
I see. One needs to have done something wrong.
This is not news. It has always been like this. Now run along and apply to naturalize, then when you have your ROC passport and naturalization documents, go to the AIT and apply to renounce your US citizenship and hope they refuse your renunciation. Good luck.