Helen Griffiths
Tax Partner
The US tax net is cast far and wide and international businesses and individuals often require specialist US tax advice from a local team. Our US Private Wealth and Entrepreneurial team, based in London, is ideally placed to advise clients with US connections based in the UK, Europe and the Middle East: US citizens living abroad, foreign nationals moving to the US or with investments in the US and businesses looking to expand into or out of the US.
Our team of dual-qualified US and UK tax professionals help clients navigate the often complex interactions between the US and overseas tax systems. We work with lawyers, wealth managers and other professionals as well as the BDO International network to deliver holistic, global advice to US-connected clients all over the world.
As a US citizen or resident, the tax issues associated with setting up a business or investing outside the US can be daunting. Complex legislation such as the Controlled Foreign Corporation (CFC) rules was designed to combat perceived tax avoidance, but in many cases impacts both ordinary Americans trying to do business outside the US and foreign nationals who relocate to the US. Working with BDO’s Corporate International team, we can help clients to structure their non-US businesses in order to mitigate the effect of these rules, and advise on pre-immigration tax planning for foreign nationals moving to the US.
Providing for the next generation can be very complex when there is a US citizen or resident in the family, or where the family owns assets in the US. We are experienced in advising families on multi-jurisdictional estate and trust planning and provide advice for US Citizens married to non-US citizens; and on family trust, real estate investment, lifetime gifting and UK ‘deemed domicile’ issues. We can also guide clients through the complex tax rules associated with relinquishing US citizenship, enabling them to make an informed decision.
Our UK/US tax offering, in addition to advisory, delivers a full range of US and UK individual tax compliance services for individuals.