Monthly Archives: February 2012

Equalization or Protection – A Taxing Question

Posted on February 28, 2012 by | 1 comment

Guest Author:
Jennifer Stein – Global Tax Network

[Editor’s Note:  We are happy to welcome Jen Stein as a Guest Author.  Jen is the Managing Director of the Global Tax Network Chicago office.  She has more than 15 years of experience in expat and foreign national tax preparation and consulting, starting her career with Arthur Andersen, and then Ernst & Young, where she served for over 14 years.]

Taxes are one of the most complicated and expensive aspects of an international assignment.  To control these costs, most companies utilize a tax policy as part of their international assignment process.  The two most common approaches are tax equalization and tax protection.  How do you decide if one of them is right for your company? Let’s start with some definitions.

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Posted in Expatriate Payroll, Expatriate Taxation, Expatriates, International Payroll

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Relocation Mistakes of a First-Time Trailing Spouse

Posted on February 21, 2012 by | 8 comments

Guest Author:
Rachel Yates – Definingmoves.com

[Editor’s Note:  We are very excited to share with you the assignee’s spouse perspective on international relocation, from someone who has lived through five such moves.  Rachel Yates edits a website, Defining Moves, devoted to assisting relocating families around the world. ]

Ten years ago, my partner was offered his first international relocation to Kenya. We saw it as an opportunity for adventure, travel and fun, and with that in mind, I made every mistake in the book. With hindsight, I had watched too many period dramas; in my mind, relocation was going to fall somewhere between Out of Africa and Downton Abbey. The reality was far less glamorous, and involved me spending the first six months sobbing, wondering what on earth I had done. So where did I go so badly wrong?

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Posted in Expatriates, Relocation

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How to Make Cross-Cultural Training Effective

Posted on February 16, 2012 by | 5 comments

Guest Author:
Nathalie-Michèle Sylvain – Transitaré

[Editor’s Note:  It is with pleasure we welcome Nathalie-Michèle Sylvain as a Guest Author. Nathalie-Michèle is based in Montreal, Canada, where she specializes in candidate and family assessment, expatriate support and intercultural management training. She regularly participates in global conferences and has been an invited speaker for cross-cultural topics at some of these conferences as well as at Canadian universities.]

A lot is said about cross-cultural training for international assignments. Some argue that it is very important and should be done prior to departure, others claim in should be done at the host country and others still doubt the value of cross-cultural training all together. But we tend to forget that the effectiveness of a cross-cultural training depends more on its content than on its timing. So what makes a good and effective cross-cultural training program?

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Posted in Cross Cultural Insights, Expatriate Recruitment, Expatriate Selection, Expatriates, International Assignee Recruitment, International Assignee Selection, Repatriation

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Permanent Establishment and the International Assignee

Posted on February 3, 2012 by | 4 comments

Chris HallGuest Author:
Chris Hall – Global Tax Network, LLC

We are delighted to welcome Chris Hall as a Guest Author.  Chris is the Managing Director for Global Tax Network in New York.  GTN is an award-winning firm that assists clients with expatriate tax matters headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  He is a Chartered Tax Advisor with over twelve years of experience.  Chris has worked in the UK, Canada and the US.  Before joining GTN, he held positions with Arthur Andersen and Deloitte.

The concept of Permanent Establishment (PE) is one of the fundamental principles used by taxing authorities to claim jurisdiction over a corporate entity deemed to be doing business in their location. When sending people to work in overseas locations it is important to consider the impact the PE concept might have on the company as a whole.

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Posted in Expatriate Taxation, Expatriates, Global HR Expertise, International Employment Law, International Payroll

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