Rather misleading. Virtually any US citizen or US permanent resident is going to be working for a Singapore company or a Singapore business, government and embassy jobs excepted. Tell me, please, how one obtains a work permit of some sort in Singapore without being employed by a Singapore company or business? You don't.BBCWatcher wrote:The United States has its Self-Employment Tax for comparison. That's what it's openly, honestly, and correctly called ("Tax"). If you're a U.S. citizen or U.S. permanent resident living in Singapore (for example), and if you're self-employed, then you must pay the SE Tax on your earned income, under penalty of the law (including possible imprisonment) if you fail to pay -- as with MediShield Life. In return you receive a package of valuable insurance benefits: (1) U.S. Social Security retirement benefits; (2) U.S. Social Security disability insurance; (3) U.S. Social Security survivors' benefits; (4) U.S. Medicare eligibility. Items (1) and (4) require at least 10 years of "premiums," although that can include treaty country contributions. (Singapore is not a treaty country.)
Singapore PRs can be self-employed. There are over half a million of them, and some of them are U.S. citizens. SMS is one such person (although not self-employed).Strong Eagle wrote:Rather misleading. Virtually any US citizen or US permanent resident is going to be working for a Singapore company or a Singapore business, government and embassy jobs excepted. Tell me, please, how one obtains a work permit of some sort in Singapore without being employed by a Singapore company or business? You don't.
A Singapore PR must have a legal business entity in order to work. If you work for a foreign company (including your own) and follow equivalent foreign Social Security laws in that country, you are not required to pay additional US Social Security tax. In fact, you can't.BBCWatcher wrote:Singapore PRs can be self-employed. There are over half a million of them, and some of them are U.S. citizens. SMS is one such person (although not self-employed).
BBCWatcher wrote:But that's not the point. The point is that compulsory contributions to government-mandated insurance programs are taxes. And that's not a problem, in principle.
Let's just say that your interpretation of how the U.S. side works is "interesting." There is a company formation concept on the U.S. side called a "disregarded entity." I'll just leave it at that since you're hijacking this thread to discuss a non-central point. That said, it is certainly possible, even common, to be a U.S. person self-employed overseas in a non-treaty country...and subject to the U.S. SE Tax. If you want to exclude Singapore, OK, whatever.Strong Eagle wrote:A Singapore PR must have a legal business entity in order to work. If you work for a foreign company (including your own) and follow equivalent foreign Social Security laws in that country, you are not required to pay additional US Social Security tax. In fact, you can't.
If you were an American working for your own SP in Singapore, you would NOT file a Schedule C with your US income tax form. You would simply record income you received from your Singapore SP. Schedule C is for DOMESTIC SP's only.
It's not a semantic argument many people outside government seriously contest. Governments, however, have started to play semantic games. I just go by the dictionary definition.Strong Eagle wrote:Your point seems to be all about semantics.
No, I did not make that assertion. For example, there are state-owned railroads, airlines, and ferry operators. In my view the ordinary, voluntary ticket fare does not become a tax merely because the transport company is state-owned.And do it is with your insistence that everything the government collects must be called taxes.
Try arguing with a Singaporean living in London that she derives "personal benefit" from MediShield Life taxes. She's not convinced. Many other overseas Singaporeans aren't convinced.Then there are "premiums" and "contributions". These are the monies that I must pay, from which I personally benefit, now or in the future. SS, state teachers retirement, Medishare, and mandatory pension programs are just a few.
Give me an example of how an American citizen with Singapore PR, living and working in Singapore, would file any differently than I have stated. Explain how they work in Singapore. Explain how they pay US SS and the forms they file. I paid a CPA to file my taxes across five Asian countries and the USA, and never have heard of your conjecture.BBCWatcher wrote:Let's just say that your interpretation of how the U.S. side works is "interesting." There is a company formation concept on the U.S. side called a "disregarded entity." I'll just leave it at that since you're hijacking this thread to discuss a non-central point. That said, it is certainly possible, even common, to be a U.S. person self-employed overseas in a non-treaty country...and subject to the U.S. SE Tax. If you want to exclude Singapore, OK, whatever.Strong Eagle wrote:A Singapore PR must have a legal business entity in order to work. If you work for a foreign company (including your own) and follow equivalent foreign Social Security laws in that country, you are not required to pay additional US Social Security tax. In fact, you can't.
If you were an American working for your own SP in Singapore, you would NOT file a Schedule C with your US income tax form. You would simply record income you received from your Singapore SP. Schedule C is for DOMESTIC SP's only.
OK, church employees are one example. They're not self-employed, but they're subject to the SE Tax, oddly enough. There are some churches in Singapore (and mosques, and temples....), and PRs can work for them. But if you'd like to read more about the IRS's definition of independent contractors, a form of U.S. taxable self-employment entirely compatible with Singapore PR status, here you go.Strong Eagle wrote:Give me an example of how an American citizen with Singapore PR, living and working in Singapore, would file any differently than I have stated.
It pays me in one way... they assume the costs of penalties if they screw up.BBCWatcher wrote:The fact you paid a CPA buys you absolutely no assurances with the IRS or with most other tax agencies. I'm not impressed, but more importantly neither is the IRS.
Been here 1 year??andrew0209 wrote:Hi all,
Kindly seek for your advice of the chance to get PR approval.
26, Degree holder (1st class), EP (working 1 year +), annual income about $33,000
Malaysian Chinese, Local listed manufacturing company.
Application submitted since 20 Feb 2016 but now still pending. Does it mean no hope already?![]()
LOL... Because applying together with my gf. She working 3 years plus... Seem like this time my fail rate kinda high huh... LOLBarnsley wrote:Been here 1 year??andrew0209 wrote:Hi all,
Kindly seek for your advice of the chance to get PR approval.
26, Degree holder (1st class), EP (working 1 year +), annual income about $33,000
Malaysian Chinese, Local listed manufacturing company.
Application submitted since 20 Feb 2016 but now still pending. Does it mean no hope already?![]()
What's the rush?
You are almost guaranteed PR if you follow the rules , one of which is 3 yrs Tax submissions or something like that.
Should you get rejected this time , they will just tell you to apply once you have fulfilled that requirement.
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