In February 2012, Treasury issued a joint statement with France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom regarding plans for an intergovernmental approach to implement the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA). FATCA, a part of the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act of 2010, provides for a withholding tax to enforce reporting requirements for certain U.S.-owned foreign accounts. Under FATCA, a withholding agent must withhold a 30 percent tax on any “withholdable payment” to a foreign financial institution (FFI) or nonfinancial foreign entity that fails to disclose required information to U.S.tax authorities on certain U.S. account holders (including U.S.-controlled foreign entities). On July 26, 2012, a model intergovernmental agreement (IGA), in reciprocal and nonreciprocal versions, was finally released. The model IGA, discussed in this advisory, reflects a serious and shared commitment to combating international tax evasion.
The advisory is provided in PDF on the Alston & Bird website:
www.alston.com/advisories/international-tax-advisory-august-2012
