Tax Policy

Tax Policy
Author: U.s. Government Accountability Office
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Total Pages: 84
Release: 2017-02-14
Genre:
ISBN: 9781543112948

For tax year 2011 (the most recent data available), an estimated 445,000 tax returns claimed the foreign earned income exclusion (FEIE), which is 0.3 percent of all individual tax returns filed. About 17 percent of FEIE filers also claimed the foreign housing exclusion or deduction. Over half of FEIE filers reported working for a foreign employer, and less than one-third reported working for a U.S. company; the balance reported working as self-employed or for other entities. Taxpayers were able to exclude from taxable income about $30 billion in foreign earned income and housing costs, with about 45 percent excluding all or most of their foreign earned income. The FEIE reduces the tax liability of U.S. taxpayers working abroad even if they paid no foreign income taxes to another country. U.S. taxpayers in higher tax countries can eliminate their U.S. tax liability using the foreign tax credit, which is intended to prevent double taxation when foreign income is taxed by both the United States and a foreign country.

U.S. Tax Treaties

U.S. Tax Treaties
Author: United States. Internal Revenue Service
Publisher:
Total Pages: 28
Release: 1990
Genre: Double taxation
ISBN:

Tax Policy

Tax Policy
Author: United States Government Accountability Office
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Total Pages: 84
Release: 2017-10-05
Genre:
ISBN: 9781977942203

Since 1926, special tax benefits have been available for U.S. citizens working abroad. Internal Revenue Code section 911-which cost an estimated $4.4 billion in 2013- provides a tax exclusion for foreign earned income, as well as an exclusion and deduction for foreign housing costs. GAO was asked to assess section 911. This report (1) describes the number and types of taxpayers using the tax expenditure, and analyzes how the tax expenditure may interact with other provisions of the tax code, such as the foreign tax credit; (2) describes what is known about how the tax expenditure may affect business decisions about the employment of U.S. workers abroad, and U.S. exports; and (3) evaluates the potential advantages and disadvantages of modifying or removing the tax expenditure. To address these objectives, GAO analyzed 2011 IRS statistical data; reviewed the tax code and relevant government and academic literature; and interviewed government officials, experts, and stakeholders, including groups representing citizens working abroad and employers. As its criteria for good tax policy, this report uses GAO's tax expenditures evaluation guide, Tax Expenditures: Background and Evaluation Criteria and Questions, GAO-13-167SP.