TAPXE » Dealing with bureaucracy

Two quick German tax quirks

Alex — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:30:16 +0000

Coming from the States I call them quirks, but you can easily see why they exist:

Tax preparation costs are federally legislated, not set by the individual preparers. The amount is based on your income level. Guess there is no incentive for them to innovate.
Expenditures for local craftsman/workman services, for example having your apartment painted, are tax-deductible if you have a receipt. You get a tax deduction and the government keeps track of service provider income. No wonder you can often get a discount if you pay cash – and forgo the receipt!

Paying taxes in Lörrach – IBAN numbers

Alex — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 18:29:17 +0000

While I have not written about how taxes work as Grenzgänger in Lörrach and Basel – YET - let me add a quick link for any of you who do have to pay in the near future and need the IBAN numbers for the Lörrach Finanzamt:

IBAN and BIC codes for the Lörrach Finanzamt

Grenzgänger – Expat Taxes in Germany and Switzerland

Alex — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 13:21:36 +0000

Living in Germany – working in Switzerland – working in Germany – worked in the US – American citizens – a new administration and probably (hopefully) some changes to the tax code. Sounds like a recipe for fun when it comes to taxes.

Disclaimer: We’re not tax accountants or lawyers over here at Tapxe just two expats trying to work and live abroad. What I offer below is just our experience and understanding of our tax situation. This article is not a how to guide on how to avoid paying taxes, but rather is meant to help you make sure you ask the right questions and have a place to start from when you are dealing with this issue yourself.

Our situation is as follows: both of us live in Germany. I quit my job in the States several months before moving to Germany and have been working in Basel, Switzerland starting in December. My wife works for the German subsidiary of her small (< 20 employees) company in the States. Unlike expats coming over through large multinational companies well versed in expat transfers and tax issues we’re pretty much figuring it out ourselves.

Financially what are we preparing for? Paying taxes everywhere. But there’s good news – the US offers foreign tax credits (consult your tax advisor) and Germany and Switzerland have treaties to avoid double taxation. For the purpose of this discussion I’m just going to focus on Germany and Switzerland. Ask me about the US in April 2009!

To be continued…

Getting your Drivers License in Germany

Alex — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 16:08:19 +0000

Let me start by saying that it continues to boggle my mind as to why the German government would make driving license reciprocity agreements on a state by state basis. Virginia has reciprocity, New Jersey does not. Can somebody please explain?

To get the process started, today I went to the Lörrach ADAC office to have my Virginia drivers license translated (cost: 36 Euros). Once complete I will go to my local Führerscheinstelle to start what I’m sure will be a lengthy paperwork-filled process. Hopefully because my US drivers license is from Virginia I will in fact have Prüfungsfreiheit and will not have to take the German road and written tests. In any case luckily for you dear reader, this should give me lots to write about in the coming weeks.

In the mean time there is lots of great information on how to get your drivers license in Germany at the American Chamber of Commerce in Germany website.

Grenzgänger Links

Alex — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 14:31:09 +0000

To follow up on my last post about being not just an Expat but also a Grenzgänger, there are a few useful German websites I’ve come across. Mostly these seem to be companies offering Grenzgänger consulting/assistance services but their websites do have some useful tips on taxes, insurance, bank accounts and permits. Most importantly – that you need to register your Swiss employment with your local German finance/tax agency.

In no particular order: