How to not pay Taxes (3 Best Legal Ways)

As the proverb says, nothing in life is guaranteed besides death and taxes. People still question if there is a way to minimize their tax liability. After all, it’s impolite to say no to Uncle Sam when he offers to reduce your tax burden. People want their companies to provide them with flexible spending accounts, invest in savings accounts, and put money aside in retirement accounts where it may grow tax-free.

There is no guarantee that this will reduce your taxable income and that you can deduct all your charitable donations on your federal revenue tax return. However, in this tax structure, it is possible to lawfully avoid paying all taxes, not only your federal taxes. Let’s look at some ways that allow you to do that. 

1.     Renounce Your U.S. Citizenship

Moving overseas does not relieve U.S. citizens of their tax responsibilities at home, contrary to common belief. The United States is among the two nations that collect taxes primarily on citizenship rather than residency or employment.

The only way a U.S. citizen can escape submitting a tax return and paying any taxes due to their income is to renounce their citizenship in the United States. The following are some of the prerequisites for renouncing citizenship, so keep that in mind if you think it appears like a quick and easy solution:

• You’ll need to schedule a visit to the American embassy, which may take some time due to the backlog in the system.
• If you want to renounce your U.S. citizenship voluntarily, you must fill out a form and send it to the State Department.
• It may take several weeks or months to receive official notification that your citizenship has been withdrawn.
• The embassy or consulate is where you’ll need to abandon your citizenship in the presence of an official.
• You are responsible for paying the Internal Revenue Service any taxes that may be due because of your expatriation.

The Internal Revenue Service assesses the amount of an individual’s exit tax liability by considering the person’s total property and applying a rate to the resulting taxable amount. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will calculate the amount of tax that the would-be ex-citizen should pay based on the amount of money they would have gotten if they had sold all of their assets the day before they left the country.

2.     Moving To A Tax-Free Country

Are you thinking of leaving the United States because of the high tax rate? Do you ever wish there was a place you could move to that wouldn’t tax your income? Perhaps even better: a destination overseas where you can become your boss without having to deal with co-workers. So, here we’re going to explore some countries without tax!

Countries Without Tax

There are four main ways countries handle income tax outside the United States. The first strategy is moving to a nation that does not impose income tax on its citizens. The likelihood that you’d choose to live in such a country is vanishingly tiny.

The Middle Eastern countries of Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) do not impose personal income tax. The cost of living is low enough that you might potentially save the majority of your salary for retirement. Still, these locations aren’t exactly at the top of anyone’s list of desirable new homes.

Perhaps the thought of moving to a place as distant as Andorra appeals to you, but they have also begun imposing an income tax. Still, despite its isolation, the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia does not impose any income tax. Although there is no income tax in the country, the cost of living is high.

You may also find these areas appealing for permanent residence, so the strategy has added value. Belize, Panama, and Uruguay are just a few examples of countries in this category that have excellent banking options.

Some countries use the identical jurisdiction tax structure, which is less desirable from a banking perspective. Some examples of these places are Malaysia, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Paraguay.

Important Note

Taxing income in accordance with where you live is another option. Those who live in these nations pay taxes on only their domestic earnings. They are not required to pay taxes on any money they earn outside the country. It’s possible that you’d be required to pay income tax to your nation of residence in this situation; however, if that country doesn’t impose an income tax, you won’t have to worry about doing so.

3.     Leverage Corporate Structures

A corporation’s corporate structure significantly impacts its annual and cumulative tax liabilities to the federal government and individual states. Of course, you can change your structure as often as you choose to reduce your risk exposure or to achieve other business or personal objectives. Many businesses, however, fail to weigh their alternatives and end up with tax obligations that could have been avoided.

Even if you haven’t filed any paperwork with the IRS or your state, you still have the sole proprietor status if you’re making money from a firm you’ve set up. Since the profits of a sole proprietorship are included in the individual’s tax return, the firm is exempt from paying federal income taxes. Instead, your business revenue will be taxed at the same rate as your income.

You should consider switching to an S corporation over a C corporation if your business is now constituted as a C corporation. Unlike an S corporation, a C corporation’s earnings are subject to two rounds of taxation before being distributed to the company’s shareholders. First, the dividends paid to shareholders are taxed at their respective taxation rates. In contrast, corporate profits are taxed at the corporate tax rate.

However, shareholders of an S corporation pay tax on their portion of the business’s earnings only once annually. Cash accounting, as opposed to accrual accounting, might potentially provide tax benefits for S businesses. In addition, selling the asset might have major tax consequences when the profit is trapped in a C corporation.

Final Thoughts

So, you can escape the massive taxes on your income through the above-mentioned ways. These three methods can give you a way to avoid taxes while adding more adventure to your life. However, you should know that there are always challenges, and avoiding taxes isn’t a piece of cake.