On 9 Jul 2002 at 14:02, Tim May wrote:
Unless one's stay is a short one (see below), income or other money earned while in the U.S. (and maybe earned outside the U.S. if the IRS can make a nexus case) is taxable.
The question really is: Suppose one becomes a US citizen, and then resides outside the US. Then is money on earned on assets outside the US taxable by US authorities. If, on the other hand, after being a resident for a while, and paying taxes on money earned while in the US, one leaves the US and resides somewhere else, retaining some US assets, is the money earned on non US assets taxable? Is income of a non US resident, on non US assets, earning non US income taxable? Would it be taxable if that person had been so careless as to become a US citizen during his stay in the US?
Becoming a U.S. citizen exposes a person to not only the _current year_ tax scheme but also the "for ten years after you leave the U.S." tax scheme. (Yes, any U.S. citizen who moves anywhere in the world must, technically, file U.S. tax returns for 10 years after leaving. And pay various kinds of taxes, though the amount may be different from what he would have paid had he remained in the U.S.)
So do I get eligible for imperial taxes anywhere in the world merely by staying in the US a while, having a green card and paying US taxes, or do I only get eligible for imperial taxes anywhere in the world by taking US citizenship?