[Emuse]

I'm a US citizen living and working in HK. I have recently learned I must pay US taxes even though I don't live in their anymore.

1) Do I need to pay HK taxes also?
2) By some stretch of the imagination, is it possible I might be wrong and don't need to pay USA taxes?

Lets see... wouldn't that be paying taxes twice? I don't think I much like the idea of that at all. Tax to HK and USA... No, I don't much like this idea at all...

[dropdedfwed]

Originally Posted by Emuse

I'm a US citizen living and working in HK. I have recently learned I must pay US taxes even though I don't live in their anymore.

1) Do I need to pay HK taxes also?
2) By some stretch of the imagination, is it possible I might be wrong and don't need to pay USA taxes?

Lets see... wouldn't that be paying taxes twice? I don't think I much like the idea of that at all. Tax to HK and USA... No, I don't much like this idea at all...

there was a thread on this just recently. the upshot is, yes, you pay HK tax if you live and work in HK. as far as US tax as well, depends on your circumstances.

try searching this site for the threads on this, or looking at the US tax site.

i think if you have not been in the US for a certain period of time this financial year, you dont pay tax in the US.

[KnowItAll]

Err ... start here and get familiar with the basics.

http://www.irs.gov/publications/p54/index.html

and

http://www.irs.gov/publications/p54/ch04.html#d0e3789

[Laughing_Monkey]

from what i remember from that previous thread, you have to pay the 10-15% tax here (hk) and then the difference between that and US tax to the US - so, if hk tax was 10% and US 35% and u earnt 100,000 then it'd work like this:

earn: 100,000
to hk: 10,000
to us: 25,000
keep: 65,000

no doubt knowitall or someone will post a link to other thread soon tho...

[Emuse]

Weeeeeeeee thats good news! Thankyou very much!

(some super fast replies there guys)

[KnowItAll]

And ignorance of the laws is not an excuse.

[Emuse]

Originally Posted by dropdedfwed

i think if you have not been in the US for a certain period of time this financial year, you dont pay tax in the US.

I like this answer better

[PDLM]

Unfortunately, it is basically wrong. However, there are overseas earning exemptions, so it depends how much you are earning.

But in any case you have to jump through a load of hoops as one of the prices you pay for the dubious privilege of being American. Ecery other major country taxes on the basis of residence, not citizenship.

The best answer in the long term if you plan to live outside the US may be to find a better citizenship and renounce the US one.

[Emuse]

I've read in a thousand different ways on this forum that there is no such thing as HK citizenship. So I'm guessing even if I mary my HK girlfriend sometime in the future, that doesn't begin to make me a citizen here does it? damnit, usa sucks

[Emuse]

what I meant to say was "darnit"