Death & Taxes

[kurogane]

Does the Japanese tax system not work like Big Brother's, or is it slightly less onerous/insane?

[matsuki]

I concede...besides the tax balance being tipped in Japan's favor, apparently my real issue with this all is the "taxation without representation" and being American, that mentality is hammered into me beyond repair.

Well if you want representation you can become a native son by naturalisation. (yes I know I am being glib and that is not the intended emphasis of your post)

True, but as you say, that is a valid option. On the other hand, why it's such an issue here is the lack of guaranteed "rights" that aren't extended to non citizens here. (one of Havill's reasons for naturalizing)

The perspective I get, not being from a rebellious colony, is that all you guys got out of that deal is a system where "you've got representation? Well then you have a tax liability" with the way the US taxes citizens wherever they are on the globe.

Having a say (no matter how little or insignificant) at how the government progresses/devolves keeps me warm at night Seriously though, if the nationalists get any more sway, the divide in guaranteed benefits between citizens and honest, tax paying FG is going to widen. As you've pointed out, we haven't really seen people being denied left and right....but it's pretty fucked that you're not actually guaranteed to get anything out of a system you're forced to pay into if you come into a situation where you need it. On the flip side you have Japan dipping it's hand further in the cookie jar for foreign inheritances? It just seems the way it's setup is going to guarantee more money flows into Japan than out to countries that don't have higher/more taxes than Japan.

[wagyl]

I concede...besides the tax balance being tipped in Japan's favor, apparently my real issue with this all is the "taxation without representation" and being American, that mentality is hammered into me beyond repair.

Well if you want representation you can become a native son by naturalisation. (yes I know I am being glib and that is not the intended emphasis of your post)

True, but as you say, that is a valid option. On the other hand, why it's such an issue here is the lack of guaranteed "rights" that aren't extended to non citizens here. (one of Havill's reasons for naturalizing)

You need to lurk on some bulletin boards for people trying for green cards, or even for people who have them, to get a perspective of people feeling that they are denied rights. Like the right to go overseas during the long drawn-out bureaucratic process, and the right to non-extortionate application fees.

On the flip side you have Japan dipping it's hand further in the cookie jar for foreign inheritances? It just seems the way it's setup is going to guarantee more money flows into Japan than out to countries that don't have higher/more taxes than Japan.

The rules on who pays what taxes haven't changed, other than that the amount excluded from calculations as tax free has decreased, and the marginal rates at the pricier end of town have increased. But that is so for all inheritances, whether domestic or foreign. And it always was for all inheritances, domestic or foreign.

What has changed is that they have tightened up reporting of mysterious swellings in assets. To find people dodging tax. We get into the ever popular "surely you have nothing to hide, so you have no problem reporting" territory. And moaning about it, sadly, will only attract the spotlight on you.

The priority as to which country gets first dip is decided by tax residency. As we have discussed before, it is possible to be tax resident in more than one country. And I remember a poster here who seemed to manage to be non resident in either Sweden or Japan for the moment. It is not fool proof, but I think you will find any tax authority doing its job will be lining up to establish their priority when the effort involved pays off (they are remarkably pragmatic things, tax authorities, chasing the easy and big bucks first).

[legion]

Bo Jo jumps the shark

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/jan/22/boris-johnson-settles-us-tax-demand

Asked in November if he would pay the bill, Johnson said: “No is the answer. I think it’s absolutely outrageous. Why should I?

“I think, you know, I’m not a … I, you know, I haven’t lived in the United States for, you know, well, since I was five years old … I pay the lion’s share of my tax, I pay my taxes to the full in the United Kingdom where I live and work.”

Asked why he continued to carry a US passport, to which he responded: “It’s very difficult to give up.”

Boris discovers the downside of dual citizenship.

[kurogane]

Flob a dob........taxes......flobadob......mercenary nefariousness of pecuniary piracy.........flobadob...........I went to Eton you know.........flobadob

What a credit to whatever species he is from.

[wagyl]

Perhaps they should string him up from a zipline.

[kurogane]

Or accidentally on purpose send him on a bungee jump with a touch too much rope.................

[wagyl]

That's right, I forgot that you missed all the highlights of the London Olympics (being stunt Queen, and Boris doing his own stunts).

[kurogane]

Oh, I heard and saw somewhere that he had flobbadobbed his way into the ceremonies in some ridiculous manner or other.

He really is a credit to the sociological acuity of Monty Python's.

And in case our hive memory is fading:

[Samurai_Jerk]

Bo Jo jumps the shark

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/jan/22/boris-johnson-settles-us-tax-demand

Asked in November if he would pay the bill, Johnson said: “No is the answer. I think it’s absolutely outrageous. Why should I?

“I think, you know, I’m not a … I, you know, I haven’t lived in the United States for, you know, well, since I was five years old … I pay the lion’s share of my tax, I pay my taxes to the full in the United Kingdom where I live and work.”

Asked why he continued to carry a US passport, to which he responded: “It’s very difficult to give up.”

Boris discovers the downside of dual citizenship.

If he didn't pay, he'd risk arrest when he went to the U.S. I don't know if they'd actually take it that far but they could. They'd also go after any kind of investments he had that fell under their jurisdiction and could fuck with any bank he uses that has business in the U.S. or deals with US currency.

[matsuki]

You need to lurk on some bulletin boards for people trying for green cards, or even for people who have them, to get a perspective of people feeling that they are denied rights. Like the right to go overseas during the long drawn-out bureaucratic process, and the right to non-extortionate application fees.

Point taken...first world problem indeed. That being said, wouldn't you agree both countries should be held to a higher standard?

The rules on who pays what taxes haven't changed, other than that the amount excluded from calculations as tax free has decreased, and the marginal rates at the pricier end of town have increased. But that is so for all inheritances, whether domestic or foreign. And it always was for all inheritances, domestic or foreign.

What has changed is that they have tightened up reporting of mysterious swellings in assets. To find people dodging tax. We get into the ever popular "surely you have nothing to hide, so you have no problem reporting" territory. And moaning about it, sadly, will only attract the spotlight on you.

The priority as to which country gets first dip is decided by tax residency. As we have discussed before, it is possible to be tax resident in more than one country. And I remember a poster here who seemed to manage to be non resident in either Sweden or Japan for the moment. It is not fool proof, but I think you will find any tax authority doing its job will be lining up to establish their priority when the effort involved pays off (they are remarkably pragmatic things, tax authorities, chasing the easy and big bucks first).

Understood, I just think the system is tipped in Japan's favor and when it comes to it's FG tax residents, doubly so. (but as we've already established, FG tax residents aren't what's being targeted here)

That being said, I actually agree with the spirit of inheritance tax on assets over a certain amount in an effort to redistribute large amounts unearned wealth...but I highly doubt how effective it really is...that kind of wealth tends to find all kinds of legal loopholes/exemptions/ways to skirt the law.

[wangta]

Message to Kurogane - do you remember Super Grover and all his trying to justify hiding his and his J wife's Canadian investments from the J taxman for years?

Do I???? Probably one of the things I miss most about the demise of GP is losing the chance to screw that otherwise loveable and wonderful screwball over his tax rage. It was his Kryptonite; he was absolutely loony when it came to his tax obligations. And as I used to say over there, and as Wagyl said above just now, FGs are utterly trivial to any and all JRA regulations and activities. This isn't to say we aren't subject to them, but it is to say that anybody that thinks they are specifically targetting foreigners has a Debito level case of delusional self-importance, not to mention an internet conspiracy theory level understanding of the issue.

I never had a serious issue with the JRA and I earned a nice income that was exempted from taxes by a rather complicated inter-departmental agreement between the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of whatever the JRA is in; they contacted me a few times but it was quick and easy to resolve their inquiries. I found them at least as professional as Revenue Canada, which is allegedly known for being professional and reasonable. I am also convinced that without at least my level of Japanese or some serious pluck things would not have gone that smoothly. Christ, not even educated Japanese can read the tax code

I agree mostly with you but silly Super Grover was one of a number of gaijin professors to be audited. So I think the tax authorities were indeed looking for long term gaijin with PR/spousal visa and J wives after they first uncovered a lucrative collection of assets etc that some PR gaijin were not mentioning in their tax statements.

It just struck me as verging on the ridiculous that so many people with PR, whether that was the full PR complete with visa or PR by virtue of living 5 of the past 10 years in Japan, on that thread were up in arms about the fact that the J authorities were not prepared to endorse their failure to report their money earned in Japan and stashed away in Canada or the USA or wherever, or the money earned from investments abroad. Especially after the bunnies were sending home money constantly and also receiving it from back home.

Even if you come in under the amount at which you're going to be taxed, you still are required to give the lump sum of the total on your tax statement as somebody who is PR for tax purposes in Japan. I don't think the J authorities care about a few hundred in interest from bank accounts abroad but surely somebody who has a J wife and has lived for years in Japan on a permanent type visa would have enough interest in Japan's tax rules to find out what they are meant to do in terms of reporting.

It was Super Grover's and a few others' self-righteousness that made it rather comical.

[kurogane]

It was Super Grover's and a few others' self-righteousness that made it rather comical.

That was my only focus on all of those silly threads. That the JRA was targetting foreigners to a certain degree I fully agree with; they tend to have foreign accounts and sources of income, and once some are found to be in breach of the law a pattern is established. As Wagyl has noted, that is a specific focus of late and they were doing their job. What used to amuse me was that Debito level of paranoid self-importance where they screamed hysterically about being hunted down just because they were foreigners, and combined with their hilariously childish opposition to having to pay taxes at all (It done be my moneys golldarnit!) it was all too ripe to not pour some salt in the wounds.

I always assumed that SG's problems arose because he had been undereporting or outright lying about transfers of Japanese income to foreign accounts; he was always very vague, but for such an intelligent and thoroughly decent humanoid to argue so vehemently that his Japanese income shouldn't be subject to Japanese tax before it was shipped abroad used to leave me breathless with amused befuzzlement. I miss that cracker, and not just for his tax rants.

I fully understand why some might try to hide or mask their foreign holdings that orginated outside of Japan, but trying to hide Japanese income abroad before paying tax on it is like leading the wolf to the sheep's pen. At least keep your accounts separate, ferfecksake.

[Wage Slave]

I was in that thread as "Brown Cow".

The bit I found really comical was that SG believed he was hard done by because he had been entrapped. The NTA had deliberately refrained from pulling him up for years in order to persecute him more completely when they finally did. And it was their fault he was years and years in arrears.

But even more laughable was Ken44 who believed that anyone who did report their overseas income was a simpleton and a fool. According to him if you were clever and an American citizen then there was no way they would or could do anything. Reporting income was just drawing attention to yourself and inviting an investigation.

I do thank SG though for prompting me to act as my five year anniversary came up - In a strongly don't be like that guy sort of way. I have to say the response from my (ruralish) tax office was actually quite negative:

1. You don't need to report this because it is overseas income and we don't need it. We have dignity.
2. Ah, I checked. Yes, actually it seems you do.
3. OK if you must then do so but I am going to look down my nose at it. It feels beneath our dignity.

[IparryU]

I was in that thread as "Brown Cow".

The bit I found really comical was that SG believed he was hard done by because he had been entrapped. The NTA had deliberately refrained from pulling him up for years in order to persecute him more completely when they finally did. And it was their fault he was years and years in arrears.

But even more laughable was Ken44 who believed that anyone who did report their overseas income was a simpleton and a fool. According to him if you were clever and an American citizen then there was no way they would or could do anything. Reporting income was just drawing attention to yourself and inviting an investigation.

I do thank SG though for prompting me to act as my five year anniversary came up - In a strongly don't be like that guy sort of way. I have to say the response from my (ruralish) tax office was actually quite negative:

1. You don't need to report this because it is overseas income and we don't need it. We have dignity.
2. Ah, I checked. Yes, actually it seems you do.
3. OK if you must then do so but I am going to look down my nose at it. It feels beneath our dignity.

Wow, didnt know you were brown cow.

So, who else went by a different name that is here now?

[Wage Slave]

I was Wage Slave there but got banned for criticising the management. I then left for a long time and returned as Brown Cow.

[wangta]

I never posted on gaijinpot because I never signed up, and f gaijin is the only forum with a Japan or other Asian country theme that I've joined. But I enjoyed reading gaijinpot at its peak with feuds running hot between kurogane and dimwits like McAlpine (McTojo) and others whose names I have forgotten.

So Wage Slave was Brown Cow. I was just looking at that specific thread re tax and your posts are eminently sensible.

I liked EdinJapan but Ken44 or whatever comes across as a few patties short of a burger. He insisted because he wrote that all the money he sent home just under 10,000 each time was for his mother on the official paperwork, then he would be fine. He also couldn't grasp that the Japanese tax authorities didn't need all the permission he thought to access info about his American bank accounts and what he was doing with his Japanese ones.

Anybody ever met Ken in real life?

[kurogane]

yes, a terrible rabble rouser he was as Wage Slave. I believe he voiced a rather reasonable opinion about some rather weird, partial and thoroughly untransparent shenanigans by either the Mods or the Management, and got reverse Kayser Souze'ed for his efforts. I never understood how anybody could get banned from there for that, but it was far from uncommon. What made it all the sillier was how relatively hard it was for me or other miscreants like Hijinx to get banned. But in the end all it took was a kid that needed a Japanese keyboard so he could learn how to type in Japanese.

I had quite forgotten Kenny's raving mad take on the issue. Aaah, good fun. If you transfer Japanese income abroad at least have the brains to report some minimal bank savings interest on that income in future years. Or even lie and say you lost the investment. Udderwise deyz gonna getcha.

PS don't forget Wangta: sending just under 10,000 USD per transaction is a serious red flag in itself. Using Mom and claiming it as Shi-okuri is actually rather clever, but that pattern is not.

Never met him. As a poster he was great fun. As a tax dodger, like you said, a few patties short.

Love that expression.

[matsuki]

I agree mostly with you but silly Super Grover was one of a number of gaijin professors to be audited. So I think the tax authorities were indeed looking for long term gaijin with PR/spousal visa and J wives after they first uncovered a lucrative collection of assets etc that some PR gaijin were not mentioning in their tax statements.

It just struck me as verging on the ridiculous that so many people with PR, whether that was the full PR complete with visa or PR by virtue of living 5 of the past 10 years in Japan, on that thread were up in arms about the fact that the J authorities were not prepared to endorse their failure to report their money earned in Japan and stashed away in Canada or the USA or wherever, or the money earned from investments abroad. Especially after the bunnies were sending home money constantly and also receiving it from back home.

One of my Aussie friends was audited immediately after he got a PR visa. I'm pretty sure that's the trigger for at least a closer look at your income.

Apparently, he hadn't reported some "on the side" sales of Japanese goods overseas and they went after him for it. All I know is what he told me but apparently the guy on his case was so pushy and persistent, his wife almost divorced him over it. The impression he gave me was it wasn't much, if any, actually owed...but "a team" with badges showed up at his home, unannounced, as if it were a raid. Demanded documentation and asked all kinds of personal info of him without a reasonable amount of time. All I know is he was able to handle it but moved back to Aus after the experience.

[IparryU]

I agree mostly with you but silly Super Grover was one of a number of gaijin professors to be audited. So I think the tax authorities were indeed looking for long term gaijin with PR/spousal visa and J wives after they first uncovered a lucrative collection of assets etc that some PR gaijin were not mentioning in their tax statements.

It just struck me as verging on the ridiculous that so many people with PR, whether that was the full PR complete with visa or PR by virtue of living 5 of the past 10 years in Japan, on that thread were up in arms about the fact that the J authorities were not prepared to endorse their failure to report their money earned in Japan and stashed away in Canada or the USA or wherever, or the money earned from investments abroad. Especially after the bunnies were sending home money constantly and also receiving it from back home.

One of my Aussie friends was audited immediately after he got a PR visa. I'm pretty sure that's the trigger for at least a closer look at your income.

Apparently, he hadn't reported some "on the side" sales of Japanese goods overseas and they went after him for it. All I know is what he told me but apparently the guy on his case was so pushy and persistent, his wife almost divorced him over it. The impression he gave me was it wasn't much, if any, actually owed...but "a team" with badges showed up at his home, unannounced, as if it were a raid. Demanded documentation and asked all kinds of personal info of him without a reasonable amount of time. All I know is he was able to handle it but moved back to Aus after the experience.

Well, he had it coming to him. Tax evasion is a crime. (yes, forgetting to claim something is evasion)

[wangta]

I agree mostly with you but silly Super Grover was one of a number of gaijin professors to be audited. So I think the tax authorities were indeed looking for long term gaijin with PR/spousal visa and J wives after they first uncovered a lucrative collection of assets etc that some PR gaijin were not mentioning in their tax statements.

It just struck me as verging on the ridiculous that so many people with PR, whether that was the full PR complete with visa or PR by virtue of living 5 of the past 10 years in Japan, on that thread were up in arms about the fact that the J authorities were not prepared to endorse their failure to report their money earned in Japan and stashed away in Canada or the USA or wherever, or the money earned from investments abroad. Especially after the bunnies were sending home money constantly and also receiving it from back home.

One of my Aussie friends was audited immediately after he got a PR visa. I'm pretty sure that's the trigger for at least a closer look at your income.

Apparently, he hadn't reported some "on the side" sales of Japanese goods overseas and they went after him for it. All I know is what he told me but apparently the guy on his case was so pushy and persistent, his wife almost divorced him over it. The impression he gave me was it wasn't much, if any, actually owed...but "a team" with badges showed up at his home, unannounced, as if it were a raid. Demanded documentation and asked all kinds of personal info of him without a reasonable amount of time. All I know is he was able to handle it but moved back to Aus after the experience.

That sounds quite harsh. Was he a gaijinpot poster? There were a few tales on the relevant gaijinpot thread about calling cards left by tax office staff and in the original Japanese their job title was more or less tax evasion inspectors. I feel sorry for your friend because it sounds like he wasn't being sneaky and self-justifying for years like Super Grover and Ken44.

Sounds more careless than anything. To be fair to the J tax office, the staff I've encountered my first time around in Japan and then during my briefer second time in Japan were helpful and actually gave me information about deductions I could claim when I was working a number of different jobs for different employers some years back.

I didn't have any idea about those kinds of deductions so they actively ensured I got more of a refund. More recently when I asked them about the whole permanent resident for tax purposes biz, again they were very helpful. I received the impression they were far more interested in holders of PR/spousal visas but they were also clear about what would have been my obligations had I been lodging my tax return as somebody who had been in Japan for 5 or so years out of the last 10.

[kurogane]

Harsh? Sure. Careless? Probably, but probably mixed with a touch of White Guy in Japan entitlement syndrome. IPU called it first: he evaded his tax duties. And if he really moved home because he got audited for evading taxes on income he was legally required to report he sounds like a complete pussy, and the entitlement aspect starts to look larger. I assume there are Australians that share that childish anti-government/anti-tax attitude we saw so gloriously with our favourite Canadian redneck. Strangely, those are exactly the types that seem to get audited for their misdeeds, and cry the loudest when busted. Coincidence? Maybe.............

As Wangta noted, the JRA is mostly informative and courteous; they are required by law to inform you of all eligible deductions, and conduct business in a polite, positive and helpful manner. It is in many ways a truly civil service. They are also The Taxman. Screw with them at your own risk. OR, juspayyerfeckintaxesyacunt

[matsuki]

That sounds quite harsh. Was he a gaijinpot poster? There were a few tales on the relevant gaijinpot thread about calling cards left by tax office staff and in the original Japanese their job title was more or less tax evasion inspectors. I feel sorry for your friend because it sounds like he wasn't being sneaky and self-justifying for years like Super Grover and Ken44.

Sounds more careless than anything.

I don't think he ever posted on GP and I think it was more a case of honest ignorance...the more I think about it, he got his PR visa probably about a year after he had hit the 5-year tax resident mark so there wouldn't but much to go over but he said they basically wanted detailed explanations, documentation, etc. over every single yen they saw deposited/spent/etc. The tax dude basically told him "you shouldn't own a home here with your salary!" and made suggestions he might be selling drugs or something. (WTF?) He wasn't against paying the tax or anything like that so I doubt he had the wrong attitude when dealing with the tax people but the way he explained it, it seemed like the tax d00d had a chip on his shoulder and went out of his way to be a ruthless asshole about everything. The worst being his harassment of his wife and threats when he wasn't home.

Harsh? Sure. Careless? Probably, but probably mixed with a touch of White Guy in Japan entitlement syndrome. IPU called it first: he evaded his tax duties. And if he really moved home because he got audited for evading taxes on income he was legally required to report he sounds like a complete pussy, and the entitlement aspect starts to look larger. I assume there are Australians that share that childish anti-government/anti-tax attitude we saw so gloriously with our favourite Canadian redneck. Strangely, those are exactly the types that seem to get audited for their misdeeds, and cry the loudest when busted. Coincidence? Maybe.............

Ehhh, he's not white and like I said above, he wasn't intentionally evading taxes and it wasn't a regular/ongoing side business. Basically just sold a few things to friends ion AUS on the side and was called out on them right after getting PR status. His wife and children still live here in that home but he's in AUS most of time right now. I haven't seen him in awhile but my guess is his move wasn't just the experience with the tax dude but he was also fed up with being overworked/underpaid for a somewhat glamorous position at a "famous" Japanese company.

[kurogane]

Alright, apologies for my harsh treatment of the harsh treatment he received. That aside, IT DOESN'T matter whether it was ongoing, intermittent or daily. This is what I mean by that entitlement addled anti-tax attitude: how can somebody working for a LARGE and FAMOUS Japanese company not be able to understand the phrase "Worldwide Motherfuckin' Income Motherfucker"???? Allowing he probably is a fine guy and his reasons for leaving were more complex than living a Geroge Harrison song in real time, that attitude is exactly what gets people in trouble.

Aw, yiya might, Ize pays me taxes yiya. Ize jest don't git wise deyz damn jappos think I needz to pee tickses on all me incomb.

That auditor sounds like a right dick, but his wife should have phoned his boss and had him torn a new one. Which brings me to another problem: why do so many furriners marry these wet paper napkin candle in the wind types? My ex was a civil civil servant. She would have had him posted to F'in Wakkanai for that level of aggression and abuse of authority.

[matsuki]

Dammit Kuro, stop assuming things. The company he worked at is famous in it's own right but far from large. Money was either by paypal or wired to him in Yen...I wasn't trying to make a point about worldwide income here as much as how getting that PR visa is what gets you put under the magnifying glass.

From his perspective, the sales were like selling an old sofa or bed. Yeah, technically you're supposed to report it but being small and relatively insignificant, like most that do something like that, he just let it slide. His mistake being that it wasn't going to be let slide and since the payment had a paper trail, they had the "evidence" they needed to go after him. I've never been audited so I don't know what SOP is in the US, let alone Japan but the way he explained it, it sounded like a criminal investigation that was already assumed him being guilty and just trying to determine all the details. That being said, like said in the first post...he may not have ended up owing anything after all. I never asked but the lesson here is you better have your shit together down to the last yen if you're going for a PR.

[kurogane]

But...........But...........But...............that is all I was trying to say. I'm not actually suggesting he was or is a greedy tax dodger. But the point being made on this thread is that it doesn't matter what an individual considers worthy of declaration it only matters what the rules are............................PR or no, he's the Taxman. Get your shiite together. And I certainly agree that their attitude and actions sound way over the top for that level of infraction. And just to reiterate, I don't believe that getting a PR puts you under their scope automatically. All the horror stories I have heard suggest that always end up with somebody having pulled a fast one tax wise (however trivial) and then getting caught for it. That isn't the same as saying that PR leads to increased tax scrutiny.

BTW, I got a sneaky feeling you have a touch of the anti-tax attitude in you. Which is fine, but one shouldn't let that cloud their tax strategies. That's how the guy from Gaijinpot we were talking about above got dinged, and not for a minor matter like your friend. And he got pretty dinged. I believe the term is assraped. Which is a shame because he was a great guy too. I would much rather drive the point home on an internet BBS than hear another one of these horror stories from a nice person that dug their own grave, however shallow.

[wagyl]

I would agree that immigration status is not a factor: I am not sure that the tax authority even knows what your immigration status is. If this guy was a sarariman then usually taxes would have been done through his employer, and it can be very difficult to get a side business income reflected there, since they don't like sararimen having a side business. Either something else raised some suspicions with them -- maybe the house, as you say -- or he was just unlucky.

[matsuki]

I would agree that immigration status is not a factor: I am not sure that the tax authority even knows what your immigration status is. If this guy was a sarariman then usually taxes would have been done through his employer, and it can be very difficult to get a side business income reflected there, since they don't like sararimen having a side business. Either something else raised some suspicions with them -- maybe the house, as you say -- or he was just unlucky.

Could have been the house as well, all these things happened in a relatively short span of time.

BTW, I got a sneaky feeling you have a touch of the anti-tax attitude in you. Which is fine, but one shouldn't let that cloud their tax strategies.

Yes and no. My protest when it comes to taxes on my business is to write off everything legally possible. (which is usually enough to whittle down what is owed to an insignificant amount though there are state-level annual taxes in the form of registration fees, that are flat rates and cannot be avoided) As Wags noted, my reg job taxes are done through my employer in Japan.

[IparryU]

I would agree that immigration status is not a factor: I am not sure that the tax authority even knows what your immigration status is.

They don't really know, but from what I heard in the presentation I posted, there is a form that athletes usually provide so the keep their non resident status. Likewise, you can use the same document to prove that you are not a permanent tax resident so you don't have to declare overseas income.

[wagyl]

Anecdote:
When I was starting my own business I had a period where my income was low enough to be able to present tax documents to the municipality rather than the tax authority branch office. As this was a more convenient location, I did this. I also had a small refund owing back to me from gensenchoshu. When this refund did not come to me, I followed it up with the municipality, and they were very apologetic about not having told me that if I wanted to get that refund I had to go to the tax authority.

So it came to pass that I went to the tax authority with the tax data forms printed out by the municipality, rather than my handwritten originals, in July or August, well past the deadline. The officer got it into his head that I was a late presenter, without hearing the back story. I'm not sure if it was a kind of punitive measure on his part, but he presented me with a form to fill out on the spot, of my entry into and out of Japan over the last 10 years, saying "gaijin dakara." Now, I have never claimed that I am not tax resident, so there was no reason for having to fill that out, and you can imagine the pressure to make a declaration of your movements over the last ten years, what with many trips for work and private trips, most I could only guess at dates. It made me pretty sour about going to the tax office again.

And people, people. Stop conflating immigration status with tax status. At the very least there are some sloppy expressions in this thread.