311–320 of 358 posts
And probably every policy that is less bureaucratic is either quite small or has bigger problems with corruption.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's something I've considered. As a now resident of Hong Kong, I was surprised - and delighted - with how incredibly easy it was to handle my taxes. Front-to-back, I could do the whole thing, including payment, in less than an hour and understand the whole system. Unfortunately, it is nowhere near so simple in the US, and they have no regard for expats. The US treats its expats worse than any other country in the wo…
I think it is Clay Shirky who said something to the effect that bureaucracies have every incentive to not solve problems. Otherwise the reason for the bureaucrats' existence would cease. We won't see solutions from the US government. Ever. Yes the tax stuff is painful but as in your case there are reasons to keep the citizenship.
So in essence, without bureaucracy there is no corruption just as there is no shadow without the light.
Whenever bureaucracy has to be simplified, keep in mind that the potential for abuse usually increases unless the legislators take very much care.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Do you think bureaucracy and regulations make it (deliberately) hard for US residents to invest in seed stage companies abroad? For example, if a California resident Bob injects capital into a foreign company, say $20,000 for 1% of the brand new company as it is formed in the UK, and receives preferred stock and passes voting power by proxy onto other investors, what are the personal tax and filing implications? My u…
No. While Congress tries to limit the outbound movement of capital from the U.S., generally contributing to a foreign company is not much of a tax issue unless you're using deferred earnings (i.e., you're making the investment through a corporation you own) that haven't yet been subject to tax. If you contribute post-tax earnings its usually a very simple event. Depending on your ownership stake, you have some inform…
Who does them for $100-$250? Please let me know, thanks!
"I immediately sent an email, to nobody in particular, asking the NSA to get those tax figures themselves and pass them on to the IRS"
I think the analogy is the same for states in the US - yo can live in any of the states and they'd be happy to collect your taxes. When your business has a substantial business presence in a particular state, it expects you to start reporting there.
States in the USA are like countries in the EU, except they all have the same language and restaurant chains.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Labor also moves relatively freely in the US. Here in Germany, I get the impression that an employee is incredibly "safe" compared to the US -- is it the same elsewhere in the EU? This has the double effect of probably making any one community more resilient to small market movements, but I have a hunch it also suppresses the volume of desirable candidates in the unemployment pool. I'd wager that a robust, high-turno…
> Labor also moves relatively freely in the US. Well, this is interesting. It is true that it's much easier to get fired in the US. It is also true that social mobility is less, compared to many other rich countries. Easier to get fired + less social mobility = yay, freedom.
Source?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
https://www.braintreepayments.com is just as easy as Stripe to use, and can be used in Denmark and other European countries right now. Stripe is coming to Denmark soon and is already in several other European countries. I don't see the problem?
"to be in latinamerica" I'm in a dark corner on the planet on this...
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Sorry, but your assertion that an American can simply come to Europe and work is false. In Germany, like in the UK, you most definitely CANNOT just come over and declare your intention to work. "If you are coming to work in general employment (that is, a job that does not require you to be highly skilled or highly educated), you will need to apply for a residence permit for the purpose of general employment, and you…
As a company owner, wanting to open an office, deploy people and live in the chosen country, is much much easier in Europe then in the US. Just about every country welcomes you and even offers help in the form of some sort of fund or start-up program.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
As a French expat living in Japan, creating a personal company in Japan was surprisingly easy (assuming you have a work visa of course). It was just a matter of filling a one-page form at the tax office. Filing tax was also very easy, I basically just went to city hall and they filed them for me. So despite its reputation as a bureaucratic country, Japan turned out to be much better than France. Of course, I can't he…
Oh, France is awful, very bureaucratic. Worst country I have seen for documentation.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Neither of us are U.S. citizens. I'm French and my partner is Australian. And we have about half of our customers in the U.S., and half outside. And I hear you about not over-thinking this. But even if we want to choose the simplest route, it's still not obvious which solution to pick just yet…
Where in Australia is he? I'm an Aussie, and I've done a startup and a regular business, and my mother is a(n ex-)partner at KPMG, so I have a whole stack of resources and info I can give him if you guys decide to incorporate here. My email is in my profile :)
I've set up more vanilla cos here in Aus, but I'm (we're) pretty confused about all the tax implications of selling eBooks to domestic and international audiences, and my accountant doesn't seem to be much more clued in.
Any advice you can provide would be highly appreciated.