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Old 24-12-2011, 14:03   #31
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Re: Do American liveaboards have to be State residents?

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Originally Posted by S/V Antares View Post
Check out South Dakota for RV registration. It appears to be the "Green Cove springs" for the RV set.

If you work outside the US I thought you did not pay taxes (Income) up to a fixed amount?
Will, you're probably thinking of the foreign earned income exclusion. Like most IRS stuff it's a little convoluted but basically if you are a US citizen and you earn income in a foreign country and you reside outside the US for at least 330 days you can take the exclusion. There are other ways to qualify, but most people use the 330 day thing. Any income earned in the US is taxable. See more here:
Foreign Earned Income Exclusion - Requirements
BTW - are you back in Hopetown?


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someone wrote that you coulnd not get a drivers license without 2 previous months power bills...so does that mean you have got to live there for two months just to get a license..I dont think that is right ...why would anyone move to such a place ..in NC you just prove your age and provide an address ..real or not ...and you get the license...DVC
Maybe it used to be easier, but we just moved to NC earlier this year and had to provide proof of our address to get a driver's license. I think we used a power bill. And we had to have the drivers license to register the car.



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Old 24-12-2011, 14:35   #32
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Re: Do American liveaboards have to be State residents?

Thanks for the link Dave, Heading out in the morning to pick up the boat. I sent you an IM

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Old 24-12-2011, 15:39   #33
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Re: Do American liveaboards have to be State residents?

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We've got a question. We are presently US citizens who are residents of the Turks and Caicos Islands. We pay a butte-load of US Federal income taxes. We don't pay any state income taxes, and minimal property taxes in the US.

We are working toward a situation where we spend two months a year in the US travelling around in an RV, and then sailing around between the TCI, Bahamas, Caribbean, Central America for about six months of the year, and the rest of the time on our property here. If we could drop our residency here, it would save us some money.

So I am curious as to what full time liveaboard Americans do when on the boat and out of the USA for most of the year. Do you still have to pick some state to be your residence?
The question is not how do you not pay federal income tax, but rather, how are you making money in the TCI?
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Old 24-12-2011, 16:00   #34
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Re: Do American liveaboards have to be State residents?

This is simple. To have a US Passport, you have to be a citizen. To be a citizen you have to have a Residence. Part of renouncing US citizenship is a requirement of a "new" country citizenship. You cannot become a non-US citizen until after you have become a "New country" citizen. You will have to be a citizen of somewhere to have a Passport and you will need a Passport to be anywhere.

If any US citizen does not want be to be a US citizen, you are most likely very, very uniformed of the alternatives. Every person we have met in the 47 countries we have visited wants to become a US citizen, or at least obtain a Green Card and visa.

I would be careful what you wish for, but if you want to do this, find a country that will take you...usually for a fee. About 10 years ago The Kingdom of Tonga was granting citizenship for a $10,000 fee...possibly they still are. Today, the US grants residency visa and a green card for a $500,000 investment in "Targeted Areas/Industries," or $1,000,000 investment in almost any industry and location. Chinese are the biggest takers of this plan.

Good luck,

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Old 24-12-2011, 16:43   #35
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Re: Do American liveaboards have to be State residents?

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You might want to check the NC requirements before you renew or apply for a license ... things have changed. Welcome to the post-9/11 world.

NCDOT: Getting a License or Learner Permit, Steps
From what i read those requirments were for first time folks ie 16 yr olds and 50 yr old people getting theres for the first time ..I had mine renewed last april and just showed them my old one...of course the examiner is a friend but she said I still had to show my old license..i took one of my new employees that was from Texas to get a new licenses and he just traded his Texas licences for a NC one after taking the test...I remember that I used a bible one time to get a license!...DVC
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Old 24-12-2011, 16:55   #36
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Re: Do American liveaboards have to be State residents?

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Originally Posted by tropicalescape View Post
From what i read those requirments were for first time folks ie 16 yr olds and 50 yr old people getting theres for the first time ..I had mine renewed last april and just showed them my old one...of course the examiner is a friend but she said I still had to show my old license..i took one of my new employees that was from Texas to get a new licenses and he just traded his Texas licences for a NC one after taking the test...I remember that I used a bible one time to get a license!...DVC
For renewals ... NCDOT: License Renewal & Duplicate

Either your Social Security number was already on file when you renewed or it pays to have friends in high (or low) places.
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Old 24-12-2011, 16:57   #37
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Re: Do American liveaboards have to be State residents?

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Originally Posted by osirissail View Post
Without getting into the "politics" - as a cruiser or in an occupation that keeps you "on the road" for most of your life - picking a single "home/base" State and coordinating your tax, banking, voting, drivers license, etc. makes life much simpler.
- - Each State has - as they are entitled to have - different rules and ideas of what they can use to claim that you owe them "taxes," etc. Having to argue, document, and fight them can get tiresome - not to mention expensive. So picking one State and coordinating all your "public" records, etc., IMHO, leaves more time to enjoy your retirement and/or cruising life.
I have never seen a tax form that said that americans owe taxes..it says that you should estimate..that leaves a lot of lee way ..and that is why rich folks pay so little,most folks think that they owe the gov. a certain amount when it says "estimate" what you owe..its like asking a lawer what to do without hiring them,they wont tell you .do your own taxes and it seems you owe more..pay a pro and you sometimes pay less like the rich guys...just a thought..DVC
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Old 24-12-2011, 17:01   #38
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Re: Do American liveaboards have to be State residents?

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Originally Posted by Doodles View Post
For renewals ... NCDOT: License Renewal & Duplicate

Either your Social Security number was already on file when you renewed or it pays to have friends in high (or low) places.
Yeah just a current or expired license is all you need...! right?..DVC
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Old 24-12-2011, 17:04   #39
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Re: Do American liveaboards have to be State residents?

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Yeah just a current or expired license is all you need...! right?..DVC
Plus ..."If not already on file with DMV, Social Security card or proof of Social Security Number."
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Old 24-12-2011, 17:08   #40
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Re: Do American liveaboards have to be State residents?

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Originally Posted by Zydeco View Post
Will, you're probably thinking of the foreign earned income exclusion. Like most IRS stuff it's a little convoluted but basically if you are a US citizen and you earn income in a foreign country and you reside outside the US for at least 330 days you can take the exclusion. There are other ways to qualify, but most people use the 330 day thing. Any income earned in the US is taxable. See more here:
Foreign Earned Income Exclusion - Requirements
BTW - are you back in Hopetown?




Maybe it used to be easier, but we just moved to NC earlier this year and had to provide proof of our address to get a driver's license. I think we used a power bill. And we had to have the drivers license to register the car.



Dave
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I think a notirized letter from landlord or mortage co. would do..otherwise you have got to wait a month to get a power bill to get a license and that is not right..why would they(gov) want you to live there for a month without a license? They are there to serve not make it difficult...and what if you move into a place where there is no power bill?...DVC
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Old 24-12-2011, 17:18   #41
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Re: Do American liveaboards have to be State residents?

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Originally Posted by tropicalescape View Post
I think a notirized letter from landlord or mortage co. would do..otherwise you have got to wait a month to get a power bill to get a license and that is not right..why would they(gov) want you to live there for a month without a license? They are there to serve not make it difficult...and what if you move into a place where there is no power bill?...DVC
It's not that bad. They want proof of residency and here is what they will accept (from their website)...

Proof of Residency Acceptable Documents
Listed below are acceptable documents you can use for a U.S. Citizen:

Any document issued by the State of North Carolina or any of its political subdivisions (county, city, tax district, etc.) or by the federal government;
Preprinted bank or other corporate statement;
Correspondence on preprinted business letterhead;
Apartment lease, housing contract, mortgage statement, etc.;
Utility bill (power bill, cable bill, water bill, etc.) or contract for utility service;
School records;
Matricula consular issued by the Mexican consulate for North Carolina;
Letter from homeless shelter;


The power bill is just one acceptable document.
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Old 24-12-2011, 17:35   #42
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Re: Do American liveaboards have to be State residents?

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Originally Posted by tropicalescape View Post
I have never seen a tax form that said that americans owe taxes. . . .
Bad choice of wording on my part - what I meant to say is that States can claim that you are "taxable" by them whether you currently live there or not if you at one time did live there or had income or property there. Case in point - California.

As to North Carolina Drivers Licenses, the new listing of requirements posted in the links conforms with the 2005 Federal "Real ID" requirements. Here is an interesting excerpt about the 4 States that blocked their own adoption of the "Real ID" requirements. See: Real ID dropouts leave security holes

"Defying Uncle Sam, four states have passed laws refusing to comply with federal rules to make state-issued driver's licenses more secure, casting further doubt on the future of the 2005 Real ID Act.
Although it is rare for states to reject an act of Congress, New Hampshire and Oklahoma in May joined Montana and Washington state in passing statutes this year refusing to go along with Real ID. The refusals mean those states’ driver’s licenses eventually won't be accepted as official identification when boarding airplanes or federal buildings."

However in the years since the article above, things have gotten a little better according to Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/REAL_ID_Act
More States are ignoring or deep-sixing the program and the current administration is trying to get the whole thing repealed.

But for now there are States that are fully following the program and others that do not. Florida, I know from personal experience does follow the Real ID requirements and it looks like North Carolina is also. So in addition to other factors it might be well advised to find out of the State you are favoring is or is not following the program.
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Old 24-12-2011, 17:42   #43
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Re: Do American liveaboards have to be State residents?

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The refusals mean those states’ driver’s licenses eventually won't be accepted as official identification when boarding airplanes or federal buildings[/I]."
That's very interesting. I guess if you are from one of those states you better have your passport with you, if you have one.
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Old 24-12-2011, 18:36   #44
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Re: Do American liveaboards have to be State residents?

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Originally Posted by osirissail View Post
Bad choice of wording on my part - what I meant to say is that States can claim that you are "taxable" by them whether you currently live there or not if you at one time did live there or had income or property there. Case in point - California.

As to North Carolina Drivers Licenses, the new listing of requirements posted in the links conforms with the 2005 Federal "Real ID" requirements. Here is an interesting excerpt about the 4 States that blocked their own adoption of the "Real ID" requirements. See: Real ID dropouts leave security holes

"Defying Uncle Sam, four states have passed laws refusing to comply with federal rules to make state-issued driver's licenses more secure, casting further doubt on the future of the 2005 Real ID Act.
Although it is rare for states to reject an act of Congress, New Hampshire and Oklahoma in May joined Montana and Washington state in passing statutes this year refusing to go along with Real ID. The refusals mean those states’ driver’s licenses eventually won't be accepted as official identification when boarding airplanes or federal buildings."

However in the years since the article above, things have gotten a little better according to Wikipedia: REAL ID Act - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
More States are ignoring or deep-sixing the program and the current administration is trying to get the whole thing repealed.

But for now there are States that are fully following the program and others that do not. Florida, I know from personal experience does follow the Real ID requirements and it looks like North Carolina is also. So in addition to other factors it might be well advised to find out of the State you are favoring is or is not following the program.
Not saying your words were wrong as lots of folks think they owe taxes to the gov. Nowhere does it say Us citizens have to pay taxes or any certain amount..but if one aquiesses(sp?) and signs the form then you are held by law to pay taxes...not advocating by any means that one should not pay taxes but read and understand what they(gov) say about it..rich get richer because they hire people that understand that legal jargon better than the average joe...how else could a rich man pay less in taxes than his secretary?..DVc
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Old 24-12-2011, 19:05   #45
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Re: Do American liveaboards have to be State residents?

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Not saying your words were wrong as lots of folks think they owe taxes to the gov. Nowhere does it say Us citizens have to pay taxes or any certain amount..but if one aquiesses(sp?) and signs the form then you are held by law to pay taxes...not advocating by any means that one should not pay taxes but read and understand what they(gov) say about it..rich get richer because they hire people that understand that legal jargon better than the average joe...how else could a rich man pay less in taxes than his secretary?..DVc
Not sure what you are saying exactly but there is something called the Sixteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution that applies to all US citizens. The way I read it we have to pay taxes based on the laws passed by Congress. What am I missing?
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