Job Discussion Forums

[StayingPower]

How, and when, do you reclaim your 2007 taxes?

[forest1979]

This has been written about on 1001 other threads.

You can't claim any rebate until the end of the financial year, not the end of the calendar year. That means you can't make a claim until your employers has received a letter from the tax office, which you then take to the tax office by May-June. Then your application needs to be processed before any money is given back. This takes weeks/months. Again, all this can be checked on other threads. Do your research there.

[clark.w.griswald]

The tax year in Taiwan is the same as the calendar year - January through to December.

Foreigners are permitted to lodge their taxes earlier than locals for some reason, so you can lodge your return as early as February and as late as May.

So put some pressure on your employer to get the tax withholding statements from them as early as you can - probably the end of January at the absolute earliest.

The quicker you get your return in the quicker you get your money back - and you avoid the last minute rush too!

[StayingPower]

[BigWally]

i think i heard before something about an "expedited" tax service that gives you a same day turn around or something....i might be wrong, its been a while since last tax season

[forest1979]

I wrote about the tax issue on another thread as I left Taiwan and had all kinds of hassle getting my tax rebate check. To be concise it took me 15 months from going to the tax office and informing them I was leaving Taiwan until I got the check in my hand, and this lengthy process would have been much worse had I not had help from a friend in Taiwan. In fact my experience of doing everything by the book meant nothing but hassle and I can understand why people just head to the airport and not inform the tax office. Another problem I found was that the check is only cashable in Taiwan as it was issued by the Taiwan ministry, and thus no banks/financial institutions overseas recognises the Taiwan government. Even the Bank of Taiwan would not help! In the end I went to my local Taiwan trade office about my check and the basic advice was to go back to Taiwan and cash the check myself! From my own experience if the tax system issues a rebate on the same day you leave then the system has been radically overhauled in the past couple of years, or its just the stuff of urban myth as I was informed they don't issue rebates until the end of the existing tax year.

[BigWally]

i love urban myths....have you heard about Denver International Airport? Google it!

***sorry, and back on topic***