Bonjour Part 2 - US Citizens Living In France Can Use French Tax As A Credit To Offset The Obamacare Surtax!

“Congratulations to lawyers Stuart Horwich & James Lieber for their work and success in achieving this result for Americans abroad.”

A Quick Synopsis

Because of the specific provisions of the France/U.S. tax treaty, U.S. citizens who are resident in France are eligible to use French income tax paid as a tax credit against the 3.8% Obamacare surtax. Depending on the terms of the tax treaty in their country of residence, it is possible that U.S. citizens residing in other countries may be able to use taxes in their country of residence as a tax credit against the 3.8% Obamacare surtax.

As described below, I expect that to be able to use foreign taxes paid as a credit against the 3.8% Net Investment Income Tax, the “Double Taxation” article in the relevant tax treaty must include a specific provision for “U.S. citizens residing in the country of residence”. (Canada comes to mind. But, I will have to some more research …)

Note that it is very possible that this decision will be appealed. The US government will be unhappy with this decision.

For more detail and analysis, keep reading. This post in organized into the following parts:

Part A – Introduction – Background
Part B – Before moving to another country, pay special attention to the tax treaty between the US and that country!
Part C – MATTHEW AND KATHERINE KAESS CHRISTENSEN V. UNITED STATES – Why does the US/France tax treaty work for them?
Part D – Not all tax treaties are the same! What kind of tax treaty provision create the eligibility to use foreign tax credits to offset the Obamacare surtax?
Part E – It’s great that I am entitled to a foreign tax credit. But, how is the tax credit to be calculated?
Part F – The Question: I live in country X. May I use foreign tax credits to offset the Obamacare surtax?
Part G – Dang! Can I get a refund? It appears that refunds ARE available to those who improperly were charged the Obamacare surtax!
Appendix – ARTICLE 24 Of the 1994 France/US Tax Treaty with the later protocols taken into account

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Applicability Of Foreign Tax Credit Against The Net Investment Income Tax Under U.S., France, And Italy Tax Treatries
Catherine S. Toulouse v. Comm’r, 157 T.C.| August 16, 2021 | Goeke, J. | Dkt. No. 19122-19

Short Summary:  The case discussed the applicability of the foreign tax credit (FTC) against the Net Investment Income Tax (NIIT) under the tax treaties between the U.S. and France and Italy. The Court concluded that under the text of such treaties, the foreign tax credit cannot be applied against the NIIT.

Catherine Toulouse (the petitioner), a U.S. citizen residing in a foreign country, filed her tax return for 2013 claiming FTC paid to France and Italy to offset her income tax. She also reported a carryover of FTCs to offset her income tax. Despite having NIIT in the amount of $11,540.00 USD, the petitioner claimed that her NIIT was zero. This calculation resulted because the petitioner added two lines to the return: the first to claim an FTC against the NIIT and the second resulting in NIIT due in the amount of zero. The petitioner disclosed her tax position by filing forms 8833, Treaty-Based Return Position Disclosure Under Section 6114 or 7701(b), and form 8275, Disclosure Statement, where she explained that under article 24(2)(a) of the U.S.-France tax treaty, and article 23(2)(a) of the U.S.-Italy tax treaty, she was allowed to apply FTC against the NIIT.

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If you are planning or are actually doing a real estate business, either as an investor or as an active participant, you will have to deal with the these:

Net Investment Income Tax: If you have net investment income and your modified adjusted gross income exceeds $250,000 for married persons filing jointly, then there is a 3.8% tax on the lesser of (1) your net investment income, or (2) the amount your modified adjusted gross exceeds the threshold amount.  Note that self-employment income is not net investment income. Read More

Annette Nellen

In reviewing some IRS stats for 2014 returns, I was surprised to see that two taxes added by the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), generated more revenue in 2014 than was generated from the individual AMT. Here are the stats:

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John Stancil

This is part 4 of 5 in a series on Passive Activities. You can read the previous articles here: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

Nothing, it seems, lasts forever, and it is likely there will come a time when you will dispose of your passive rental activity. When this occurs, there are a number of issues that arise. What happens to those suspended losses that were previously denied? What is adjusted basis? What is depreciation recapture? Is there a profit or a loss on the sale? How much tax will I pay?

We will attempt to clarify these issues in this article.

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John Stancil

This is part 3 of 5 in a series on Passive Activities (see Part 1 and Part 2).

Passive loss rules do not apply to real estate professionals. However, the rules for who is a real estate professional for tax purposes are rather specific and the IRS enforces these rules rather strictly. If one is classified as a real estate professional, any losses are treated as ordinary losses and may be deducted against other income sources. Gains are taxed at ordinary income rates, however, income from rental activities is not subject to self-employment tax. However, rent is one of the categories of income that is subject to the Net Investment Income Tax, so there may be an additional 3.8% tax on these profits.

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Taxpayers working on their 2013 tax returns are now grappling with the new 3.8% Medicare surcharge imposed on high wage earners. This tax is more commonly called the “Net Investment Income Tax” or (“NIIT”). There is a lot of confusion because the rules governing application of the NIIT contain nuances with regard to Americans working overseas and with regard to so-called nonresident alien individuals (NRA).

See my previous blog posting “NIIT-Picky Nuances For Americans Overseas Or With Offshore Investments” concerning how the NIIT impacts Americans overseas or those with offshore investments.

Broadly speaking, the NIIT is a 3.8% surtax on “net investment income” that applies to Read More

The Accounting community was waiting for this eagerly, to see which of their recommendations had been adopted. On November 26th, 2013, the Department of the Treasury issued final regulations governing the Net Investment Income Tax (NIIT).

The 3.8% tax took effect from January 1st, 2013. It applies to individuals, estates & trusts who have Net Investment Income and Modified Adjusted Gross Income above the following threshold amounts:

• Married Filing Jointly and Qualifying Widower with Dependent Child- $250,000

• Single and Head of Household with Qualifying Person – $200,000 Read More

TaxConnections Blog Post
Introduction

On Tuesday, November 26th The Department of Treasury released final treasury regulations governing the Net Investment Income Tax (hereinafter “NIIT”) that was included in the Affordable Care Act. The 3.80% tax took effect on January 1, 2013 and applies to individuals, estates and trusts that have certain investment income above certain threshold amounts.

More specifically, individuals will owe the 3.80% tax if they have Net Investment Income and also have “Modified Adjusted Gross Income” above the following thresholds: Read More