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I'm a web developer with experience in Ruby, Rails and Javascript
Visas deter US-based startups from hiring foreign talent, but on the flip side, US taxation laws deter US-based talent from leaving the country. I would love the idea of working for a startup in Berlin, but to make financially comparable, I'd have to be paid about 30% more[0] just to offset the cost of paying double taxes (both to the US, and to Germany). I'm ignoring factors like COLA, other expenses, etc., but for…
http://www.irs.gov/Individuals/International-Taxpayers/Forei...
Having built the first version of LayerVault in Berlin, it was remarkable to see how many expats were building companies there. It's also much more affordable than your more traditional hubs. I can't recommend Berlin enough, especially for building an MVP.
I don't get this obsession with moving to a startup hub before there's even most remote proof of your startup's viability. To me, it always raises the suspicion that one's less interested in actually building the business and more interested in living inside the movie The Social Network.
Visas deter US-based startups from hiring foreign talent, but on the flip side, US taxation laws deter US-based talent from leaving the country. I would love the idea of working for a startup in Berlin, but to make financially comparable, I'd have to be paid about 30% more[0] just to offset the cost of paying double taxes (both to the US, and to Germany). I'm ignoring factors like COLA, other expenses, etc., but for…
You will, however, pay two metric shit-tonnes in professional fees getting your U.S. tax returns prepared because the international tax rules are so ridiculous. The operating principle in U.S. tax law is "If you are doing something abroad, you must be Mafia ^H^H^H^H^H a drug lord ^H^H^H^H^H a thieving bastard tax cheat ^H^H^H^H^H^H terrorist." (The Poster Child of Evil has changed over the years, but the pig-headedness has remained constant).
Disclaimer: I am an international tax lawyer.
Visas deter US-based startups from hiring foreign talent, but on the flip side, US taxation laws deter US-based talent from leaving the country. I would love the idea of working for a startup in Berlin, but to make financially comparable, I'd have to be paid about 30% more[0] just to offset the cost of paying double taxes (both to the US, and to Germany). I'm ignoring factors like COLA, other expenses, etc., but for…
> US taxation laws deter US-based talent from leaving the country They do? I know Americans still have to pay taxes while living abroad, but they can exclude up to $97600 per year from their US taxable income which is a nice start. (And that "Earned Income Exclusion" is rising every year: http://taxes.about.com/od/taxhelp/a/ForeignIncome_3.htm )
Visas deter US-based startups from hiring foreign talent, but on the flip side, US taxation laws deter US-based talent from leaving the country. I would love the idea of working for a startup in Berlin, but to make financially comparable, I'd have to be paid about 30% more[0] just to offset the cost of paying double taxes (both to the US, and to Germany). I'm ignoring factors like COLA, other expenses, etc., but for…
I think the problem with US tax codes is that as a citizen you need to pay tax for any revenue you collected regardless of where you are physically located, but taxes you paid in treaty countries are subtracted from the total.
Visas deter US-based startups from hiring foreign talent, but on the flip side, US taxation laws deter US-based talent from leaving the country. I would love the idea of working for a startup in Berlin, but to make financially comparable, I'd have to be paid about 30% more[0] just to offset the cost of paying double taxes (both to the US, and to Germany). I'm ignoring factors like COLA, other expenses, etc., but for…
> US taxation laws deter US-based talent from leaving the country They do? I know Americans still have to pay taxes while living abroad, but they can exclude up to $97600 per year from their US taxable income which is a nice start. (And that "Earned Income Exclusion" is rising every year: http://taxes.about.com/od/taxhelp/a/ForeignIncome_3.htm )
Visas deter US-based startups from hiring foreign talent, but on the flip side, US taxation laws deter US-based talent from leaving the country. I would love the idea of working for a startup in Berlin, but to make financially comparable, I'd have to be paid about 30% more[0] just to offset the cost of paying double taxes (both to the US, and to Germany). I'm ignoring factors like COLA, other expenses, etc., but for…
Visas deter US-based startups from hiring foreign talent, but on the flip side, US taxation laws deter US-based talent from leaving the country. I would love the idea of working for a startup in Berlin, but to make financially comparable, I'd have to be paid about 30% more[0] just to offset the cost of paying double taxes (both to the US, and to Germany). I'm ignoring factors like COLA, other expenses, etc., but for…
You get plenty of restaurants around for less than 10€. Other note: medical insurance is mandatory and covered by your taxes. It just doesn't make sense to compare salaries like this, you need to compare what you get for it.
Note: I'm working for a young startup in Berlin, my girlfriend might have to refuse a postdoc in the states as I wouldn't be allowed to follow her because of VISAs problems.
Visas deter US-based startups from hiring foreign talent, but on the flip side, US taxation laws deter US-based talent from leaving the country. I would love the idea of working for a startup in Berlin, but to make financially comparable, I'd have to be paid about 30% more[0] just to offset the cost of paying double taxes (both to the US, and to Germany). I'm ignoring factors like COLA, other expenses, etc., but for…
This is plain wrong. The US and most (all?) EU states have agreements for the avoidance of double taxation in place. I live and work in Ireland as a German and US citizen. I pay my taxes here, and have to file in the US, but can deduct all my Irish taxes as "foreign taxation credits" or some such, effectively paying nothing to Uncle Sam.
Here's the US-Irish agreement: http://www.revenue.ie/en/practitioner/law/double/usaprot.htm.... I'm sure you can find one for Germany.