Taxes and Tax Haven

What Is Nonresident Tax

If you go to the definition of what is a nonresident tax, it is a return that comes to a state of which you are not a natural resident of. You might be working in an another state or country or you could make earnings in another state for which you need to file a nonresident tax return. If you fall into any of these categories, you might need to be clear about nonresident tax a bit more. You will then need to figure out the amount of income that you make in the nonresident state as well as the income that you make in the home state. Most of the federal returns even include the nonresident tax returns. Thus, it is necessary to complete one’s federal returns and then make a separate effort to file in nonresident tax returns. The legalities of filing nonresident tax returns may vary from country to country.

So how do you go about listing your income and deductions? In most states you need to first list out the total income as per the federal return in one column while in the other column one needs to write in the income that comes in as a nonresident. The total in both columns needs to be considered in order to calculate the percentage of the non-resident income as per the total income. Every state has its own laws by which one needs to allocate the taxable income or one’s tax liability accordingly.

What are Tax Havens

In such cases one often seeks out tax haven. These are countries like Anguilla, Nevis, British Virgin Islands, Singapore Hong Kong, Mauritius and other countries. Over the last two decades the number of tax havens has increased. These have evolved as most people search them out in order to protect their interests. The advancement of technology and communication has allowed these tax havens to come within reach of many people and they can avail of the benefits of storing their money and saving tax liabilities on them.

Their Characteristics

So what kind of services can you expect from a tax haven? They usually have the following characteristics:

• They are usually financial centers based offshore

• It can be a country or an organization that offers business services even to non nationals

• The business services consist of offshore trusts, registration of vessels, investment funds management, offshore foundations, offshore banking and others

• It is a legal as well a safe means of reducing one’s tax liabilities

When the economy is struggling and people are reeling under effects of low income and high tax liabilities, tax haven come to the rescue. People can resort to the offshore banking services of tax havens and get their money secured and away from unwanted tax liabilities. However, before one decides to approach such a country or organization, it is best to refer to the legal guidelines of their own country or state to understand the legalities involved.