Moving to Aruba/Cancun/Australia tax/residency questions

[TheMetetron]

On an unrelated note, I'm slightly psyched to learn that california's 9.3% state tax doesn't fully kick in until over 40k, so I'm getting taxed about $2,000 less than I thought.

Also, social security stops getting taxed at about 90k, which is more good news.

This means I'm actually caught up with my taxes this year... I'm going to cry writing them a huge ass check though.

[The Truth]

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If your making enough money playing poker to consider moving out of the country to avoid paying taxes on your 1st 80K of income heres a tip... hire an ACCOUNTANT or a LAWYER or whoever to get the answer. You obviously have the money to do so.

Your going to do this anyway right? I mean your not going to just get your info from an internet message board and say that "Joe Schmoe" said this and this so it must be true.

And I really hope your not just going to "google" the info to save a few bucks on what could be a life altering decision.

I've never understood why people ask comlicated legal questions in regards to taxes, citizenship etc on an internet poker forum A) You are goiing to get 16 different answers B) 16 out of the 16 answers will be wrong because everyone is an expert on the subject c) If you make possible life altering decisons such as not paying taxes or moving to a different country etc based on what you read here well you are an idiot. ( Not calling you an idiot, just making a point)

The "Do I have to pay taxes in Canada" thread is a perfect example of this.

If your not completely nuts and are going to hire a proffesional whatever to answer your questions correctly then why bother posting here in the 1st place? You are going to get so much incorrect information that any correct answers you recieve will be mixed in with all the junk.

Also heres another thought to ponder: Is it worth it to save 25K a year in taxes or whatever your tax rate is (I don't know your tax rates cause I live in Canada) to move to a different country, leave your friends and family behind and have a different quality of life?

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Alot of people have already had this exact same question and answered it for themselves. So, they can relay the answers to tstone.

This poker forum is one of the best places to ask this question. Its not close. Do you see why?


I don't see why people always talk down about asking complex or specialized questions on this board. It is an excellent resources to get information from professional people. There are doctors and lawers and you name on this board, and its free. Ask away.

[Templeton]

"Secondly, from my understanding Aruba and Australia does not tax gambling winnings."

My limited understanding of this is, basically no.
If you win the lottery, no taxes, win on blackjack in a casino, no taxes.
But a proffessional gambler I think is another ball game.
If you are a pro poker player I imagine you would be required to pay taxes. From my understanding Australia seems to follow a very similiar line to Canada in these ragards.

Useful link on Australian On-line gambling?

[KaneKungFu123]

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kkf: how are you staying in thailand for so long? dont they have laws about only being allowed to stay there for a few months at a time?

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see my new thread in NVG, the deduction isnt allowed says Russ Fox, respected CPA.

The rules in Thailand are there are no rules. Well, there are rules, but they are bent easily. Its a well known fact that tourists can buy themselves out of small drug possessions. In general, the thai government likes having tourist money, and stays out of our way. If there is ever a problem, the answer is a few baht - the same way it works for rich people in the USA.

[KaneKungFu123]

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On an unrelated note, I'm slightly psyched to learn that california's 9.3% state tax doesn't fully kick in until over 40k, so I'm getting taxed about $2,000 less than I thought.

Also, social security stops getting taxed at about 90k, which is more good news.

This means I'm actually caught up with my taxes this year... I'm going to cry writing them a huge ass check though.

[/ QUOTE ]

why not keep your money in party a few more weeks?

[KaneKungFu123]

BTW, Id bet my entire bankroll that the IRS is by far the most sophisticated tax collection agency in the world.

What happens when the Costa Rican IRS finds out you havent filed yet, if they ever figure it out in the first place out??? [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

Well, the guys working there probably are getting paid $2 USD/hr, yet drive decent cars and wear nice jewerly and have a hot wife...

put two and two together.

my friend entered costa rica illegally, worked there for 2 years. when he left they made him pay an absurdly large $200 fine.

[Mr_J]

Wow talk about extortion.

[KaneKungFu123]

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I'm considering moving out of the country sometime next year or the year after and I think the 2 most desireable places are Aruba, Cancun Mexico and perhaps Australia.

How can I get granted permanent residence in Aruba, Mexico or Australia? From my understanding you can only live in these countries for a temporary period unless you become a citizen or somehow become approved for permanent residence. How do I go through this process for each country and how hard is it to get in for a professional internet gambler?

Secondly, from my understanding Aruba and Australia does not tax gambling winnings. Is this true? Does Mexico tax online gambling winnings (is online gambling even legal?) and if either countries tax you what is their going percentage? I'm going to have to pay taxes on my winnings either way to the US but I'd like to get the 80k credit of course. If Mexico's/Australia's tax rate is as high as ours then I wouldn't be able to save anything on taxes.

I've tried to do alot of google research on the following questions but I just can't come up with anything. Please help me out with this or point me to a webpage/person that I could get some answers out of.

Thanks a bundles

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I'm assuming you are U.S. citizen. You have to pay taxes on your winnings no matter where you live.

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Really? Does that mean that as a U.K. citizen I don't have to pay gambling taxes wherever I live?

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if you win money in a casino in the US and its over x dollars, you probably have to pay.

[Rudbaeck]

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BTW, Id bet my entire bankroll that the IRS is by far the most sophisticated tax collection agency in the world.

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I'd like to take you up on that bet. [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

Unless you by 'sophisticated' mean 'bureaucratically inefficient'. Then I'd have to let you go.

[Billman]

I would highly recommend checking out expat message boards for the kind of information you're looking for. You aren't likely to get a lot of information specific to gamblers but they do tend to know a lot about the immigrations laws specific to that country. They often know more than the typical desk jockey working at the immigration office. For instance, it's not uncommon for one immigration check point to enforce different rules than another. Based on finding out the hard way, expats can usually steer you to the more friendly office.

It's also a good idea to check out those boards because life seems great on a website but living in a place can be a completely different experience. Corrupt cops, racism, dual-pricing schemas, etc. can wear on you and it's probably better to hear about those things from people living it first-hand than just figuring that you like partying in Cancun so it must be a cool place to live for a year or two.

Last but certainly not least, expat boards can open up a social and support network that might be hard to get started moving to a new country. Just getting some email exchanges going before you move there might prove to be valuable in terms of making friends.

This is sort of off-topic to what I have said above but I am an avid scuba diver myself and even went so far as to receive my instructor certification so I could teach as a hobby. I know a lot of other instructors and many of them started out working cruise ships and paradise islands in the caribbean. They all complained about how island-crazy they got. Obviously they had a wonderful time but there is a certain amount of stress that comes from being isolated with your only outlets being partying and getting drunk with an endless sea of tourists. A month is too short to try out a place you might want to relocate to. Go spend 3 or 4 months before making a big commitment. A month is too much like an extended vacation. After 2 months you start wondering what the heck you're going to do other than get drunk again.

There's a reason that resorts like Club Med have to keep cycling staff in and out. People get too stir-crazy.