Category Archives: Roth IRA

Tax me now! Tax me later! Tax me never! Interview with expat financial planner Jimmy Miller

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Prologue: In search of a tax haven …

Where to find that tax haven – let’s start with a ROTH IRA

The above tweet from CPA Gary Garter leads to a discussion that includes:

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The Competent Authorities Should Agree That the Canadian TFSA Has The Same Treaty Status As The US Roth IRA

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2018 Prologue

In 2018 I wrote a post arguing that it is reasonable to conclude that the text of the Canada US Tax Treaty should be interpreted to mean that a Canadian TFSA is – like a US ROTH IRA – a pension within the meaning of the Canada US Tax Treaty. The 2018 post was arguing for equal treatment without the intervention of the respective Canadian and American Competent Authorities.

The Punitive Taxation Of US Citizens Living Outside The United States Continues

I have previously and repeatedly made the point that:

The United States imposes a separate and more punitive system of taxation on US citizens living outside the United States than on US citizens living in the United States.

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Raymond James: A Permanent Investing Solution For Cross Border Individuals

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Raymond James Crossing Borders Wealth Management Solutions

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Mr. LJ Eiben is a Financial Advisor at Raymond James.

The information in this podcast was obtained from sources RJA and believed to be reliable; however, we cannot represent that it is accurate or complete. It is provided as a general source of information and should not be considered personal investment advice or solicitation to buy or sell securities. The views expressed are not necessarily those of Raymond James (USA) Ltd. Raymond James (USA) Ltd. (RJLU) advisors may only conduct business with residents of the states and/or jurisdictions for which they are properly registered.

Raymond James (USA) Ltd. is a member of FINRA / SIPC

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SECURE Act of 2019 Erodes Future Capital Growth In Order To Pay For The Present Expenses

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Introduction – The SECURE Act aims to: “Set Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement”

The above tweet references an excellent article by Daniel Kurt, describing the pros and cons of IRA reform. Significantly, the article includes:

One other key change in the new bill is paying for all this: the removal of a provision known as the stretch IRA, which has allowed non-spouses inheriting retirement accounts to stretch out disbursements over their lifetimes. The new rules will require a full payout from the inherited IRA within 10 years of the death of the original account holder, raising an estimated $15.7 billion in additional tax revenue. (This will apply only to heirs of account holders who die starting in 2020.)

Legislative/Socioeconomic Background

There is a “retirement crisis” in North America. Neither Canadians nor Americans are saving enough for retirement. At the same both governments are operating with huge deficits. Individuals have failed to plan for financing their retirements. As a result, any and all honest attempts to improve the situation are welcome. That said, governments seem to reflexively attempt to solve problems by generally increasing taxes. In some cases, governments increase the rate of taxation on income. In other cases governments broaden the tax based by subjecting new things to taxation. There is however a worrisome trend toward governments simply imposing taxation on existing capital. Examples include: the Section 965 transition tax and Section 877A expatriation tax. In both cases these laws create “fake income” by deeming there to be a distribution where there was in actual fact, no distribution to be taxed. The SECURE Act continues the same principle by forcing certain inherited IRAs to be distributed within a ten year period. At a bare minimum, this reinforces the principle that individuals should not be able to easily transfer assets to the next generation and that existing capital pools are fair game for taxation.

Prior To The SECURE Act Certain Inherited IRAs Could Grow For The Life Of The Beneficiary

In an earlier post (with the help of Chris Stooksbury) I had described the tremendous growth and capital preserving opportunity in certain inherited ROTH IRAs.

No more!

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The United States imposes a separate and more punitive tax system on US dual citizens who live in their country of second citizenship

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Prologue

Do you recognise yourself?

You are unable to properly plan for your retirement. Many of you with retirement assets are having them confiscated (at this very moment) courtesy of the Sec. 965 transition tax. You are subjected to reporting requirements that presume you are a criminal. Yet your only crime was having been born in America (something you didn’t even choose) and attempting to live as a U.S. tax compliant American outside the United States. Your comments to my recent article at Tax Connections reflect and register your conviction that you should not be subjected to the extra-territorial application of the Internal Revenue Code – when you don’t live in the United States.

The Internal Revenue Code: You can’t leave home without it!

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How Americans moving to Canada can maximize the use of their existing Roth IRA

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I have previously explained how the Canada U.S. Tax Treaty allows a U.S. citizen to move to Canada and continue the deferral of taxation (in both Canada and the United States) on his existing Roth.The treaty allows for deferral with respect to the existing balance in the Roth. It does NOT allow for deferral with respect to contributions made after the person becomes a tax resident of Canada.

That post concluded with:

Conclusions:

1. The owner of a ROTH who moves to Canada can will continue to not pay tax on the income earned by the ROTH and will not pay tax on distributions from the ROTH. We will see that this can prevent a tremendous investing opportunity; and

2. Contributions made to the ROTH after moving to Canada will cease to be “pensions” within the meaning of of Article XVIII of the Treaty! This means that post “resident in Canada” contributions will NOT be subject tax “tax deferral” (as per paragraph 7) and will be subject to taxation (as per paragraph 1).

Possible Additional Conclusion:

3. Because a Canadian TFSA is the same kind of retirement vehicle as a U.S. ROTH IRA, and the ROTH IRA is treated as a “pension” under Article XVIII of the treaty:

A TFSA should be treated as a pension under Article XVIII of the Canada U.S. Tax Treaty.

But, moving back to the U.S. citizen who moves to Canada with a Roth IRA.

How a U.S. citizen who moves to Canada can maximize use of the Roth and the Canada U.S. Tax Treaty

Q. How does this work? A. It takes advantage of the “stretch” principle
The general “stretch” principle is described at Phil Hogan as follows:

How US plans can “stretch” to Future Generations

Chris discusses the often overlooked benefits of US plans for Canadian residents. Under US tax laws IRA (and sometimes 401k) plans can be “stretched” or transferred to future generations tax free. Pursuant to Canada-US treaty provisions the same treatment can be had for Canadian tax purposes.

Unlike RRSP accounts, US IRA accounts can be transferred to a second generation (non-spouse) tax free under the Canada-US tax treaty. The impact of the tax free transfer and compounding investment over the lifetime of the beneficiary can be significant. This is outlined in detail in Chris’ new white paper report Roth IRAs in Canada – The gift that keeps on giving. How $250,000 can turn into $35 million TAX FREE to an heir.

Here is the full video …

And the written explanation …

See the link in the above tweet here …

roth_IRA_in_Canada_compliance_approved-1 (1)

Bottom line:

The features of a Roth IRA coupled with certain provisions of the Canada U.S. tax treaty may provide for better financial planning options for U.S. citizens who move to Canada than are available to Canadian residents who have not lived in the United States.

John Richardson Follow me on Twitter @ExpatriationLaw

Considering renouncing US citizenship? Meet a person who I suggested NOT commit #citizide

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For most U.S. citizens attempting to live outside the United States (in compliance with U.S. laws), their days as U.S. citizens are coming to an end. Those who have ignored the fiscal demands required of Americans abroad (meaning they have not entered the U.S. tax system) will be able to retain U.S. citizenship for the foreseeable future. But, for those who do file U.S. taxes and attempt to comply with the outrageous demands of the United States (FBAR, forms, PFIC, Transition Tax, GILTI, Subpart F and more), they experience life like this:
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Canada U.S. Tax Treaty: Why the 5th protocol of the Canada US Tax Treaty Clarifies that the TFSA is a pension within the meaning of the Canada U.S. Tax Treaty

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Article XVIII of the Canada U.S. Tax Treaty Continued – The question of the TFSA

In a previous post I discussed how a U.S. citizen moving to Canada with an existing ROTH will be treated under the Canada U.S. Tax treaty.

The purpose of this post is two-fold:

First, to argue that the the TFSA should be treated as a “pension” within the meaning of Article XVIII of the Canada U.S. Tax Treaty; and

Second, to argue that the 5th protocol (which clarifies that the ROTH IRA) is a pension within the meaning of the Canada U.S. Tax Treaty means that the Canadian TFSA has the same status.

This will be developed in three parts:

Part A – How the Canada U.S. Tax Treaty affects U.S. Taxation of the Canadian TFSA

Part B- Wait just a minute! I heard that the “Savings Clause” means that the treaty would not apply to U.S. citizens?

Part C – The TFSA and Information Returns: To file Form 3520 and 3520A or to not, that is the question

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Canada U.S. Tax Treaty: Article XVIII incorporating the 5th Protocol of September 21, 2007 – An American moves to Canada with a #Roth

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Part 1 of 3 – The 5th Protocol to the Canada U.S. Tax Treaty – U.S. Residents Moving To Canada With a ROTH

This is the another post describing an aspect of the September 21, 2007 5th Protocol to the Canada U.S. tax treaty. This post describes how the owner a Roth IRA can maintain significant advantages from a Roth IRA which has been funded prior to a move to Canada. In my next post I will argue that the same provisions should apply to a TFSA that was funded prior to a Canadian resident moving to the United States.
http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/I-3.3/FullText.html#h-82

Introduction – The United States taxes ONLY one thing! Everything!

The United States has one of the most (if not the most) comprehensive and complicated tax systems in the world.

1. Who is subject to U.S. taxation?

The United States is one of only two countries to impose taxation on its citizens who do NOT live in the United States. In practical terms, (in a world of dual citizenship), this means that the United States imposes taxation on the citizens and residents of other nations. This is to be contrasted with a system of “residence based taxation” – a system where only “residents of the nation” are subject to full taxation. A system of “residence based taxation” assumes that the purpose of taxes is so that the government can  provide services to residents. A system of “citizenship-based taxation” assumes that the purpose of taxation is so that taxpayers can fund the activities of the government. (It’s interesting that the United States is (1) the only modern country with “citizenship” taxation and (2) a country that provides comparatively few services to its residents.

2. What is the source of the income that is subject to U.S. taxation?
The United States (along with Canada and most other countries) uses a system of “worldwide taxation”. In other words a U.S. citizen who is a tax-paying resident of France, is expected to pay taxes to the United States on income earned anywhere in the world. This is to be contrasted with “territorial taxation”. A country that uses a “territorial tax system” imposes taxes ONLY on income earned in the country.


3. What are the rules that determine how the tax owed is calculated?
The American citizen living in France as a French citizen is subject to exactly the same rules in the Internal Revenue Code that Homeland Americans are subject to. The problem is that the Internal Revenue imposes a different kind of tax regime on “foreign income” and “foreign property. In effect, this means that the United States imposes a separate and more punitive regime on people who live outside the United States. (This has the effect of making it very difficult for American citizens living outside the United States to engage in rational financial and retirement planning.)
The Impact of Tax Treaties in General and the “Pension Provisions” in Particular

4. What about tax treaties? How do they affect this situation?
In general (except in specific circumstances) U.S. tax treaties do NOT save Americans abroad from double taxation. In fact, the principal effect of most U.S. tax treaties is to guarantee that Americans abroad are subject to double taxation. This is achieved through a tax treaty provision known as the “savings clause“. Pursuant to the “savings clause”, the treaty partner country agrees that the United States can impose U.S. taxation, according to U.S. tax rules on the residents of the treaty partner countries who are (according to the USA) U.S. citizens.

In practice this means that the United States imposes “worldwide taxation” on residents of other countries. In fact, the United States imposes a separate and punitive tax system on those who reside in other countries.
5. The specific problem of pensions are recognized in many tax treaties
Many U.S. tax treaties address the issue of pensions. The Canada and U.K. tax treaties give strong protection to the rights of individuals to have pensions. The Australia tax treaty has very weak pension protection. The problem of how the Australian Superannuation interacts with the Internal Revenue Code has been the subject of much discussion. The “Pensions Provisions” are found in Article XVIII of the Canada U.S. Tax Treaty (as amended over the years).
The 5th Protocol – effective September 21, 2007 – made numerous changes to the pensions provisions (Article XVIII of the Canada U.S. Tax Treaty)

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