How timely. I just went to the tax office here in Tainan today to file. I was pointed right away to an English-speaking clerk with no waiting time. It turned out I haven't been in the country or worked long enough so I didn't need to file. My last job had already filed. I couldn't believe how nice the service was (I had also just grabbed my new ARC from immigration earlier). Now I need to send my form to my accountant who handles my US taxes so that gets done. Taiwan is now four for four in terms of government institutions treating me wonderfully (immigration, police, NHI, now the tax bureau). It both saddens and warms my heart (unusual as that may sound) when I see how I've been treated here by government offices compared to Korea. It's literally two different universes.
Timely indeed! It's been interesting to hear about your experiences between the two countries. That's too bad about Korea. I also haven't had to do the immigration, police, or NHI thing myself (as my coordinator handled that) so I'm glad to know that the government seems to be working well across the board. Hope your applications and job offers are going well my friend.
Thank you Ryan. At least I can tell you from experience that dealing with those offices is very direct and a lot easier than you would expect if you need to handle business. I'm still in limbo right now waiting on news about the Kaohsiung school from Premiere and the Taichung program I got accepted into via Teach Taiwan. It would make a very nice birthday present this month for me if I finally got a solid job offfer and contract locked in.
Hey thanks for sharing. I live in Toufen and you confirmed my experience when I filed taxes in Taiwan too. 90+ thousand NTD is a good amount to get back! I assume it’s from the standard deduction plus being in the country 183+ days, which reduces your tax rate to 5% total, meaning you get a refund on 13% of the 18% you paid all year.
I'm not exactly sure of the exact calculation but what you described seems about right. I'm glad your tax filing worked out easily as well. It makes suffering that high tax rate much easier knowing you get a chunk of change back eventually.
I'm not exactly sure how the calculations work but getting that chunk of change back makes suffering the higher tax rate much easier. Glad it worked out for you as well my friend.
It's easy to open a bank account if you have your ARC card and passport. One thing to note is that you have to provide your US social security number if you're an American. I haven't applied for a credit card but some foreigners have complained that it wasn't easy for them.
What happens if you start working the second half of the year? Will you be taxed 18% for end the year and another 18% for the first half of the following year?
