Russia's presidential executive office has been reviewing the U.S. anti-money laundering act known as FATCA (Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act). Presidential economic advisor Elvira Nabiullina spearheaded a meeting with Finance Ministry, Foreign Ministry, Central Bank, Federal Financial Markets Service, Tax Service and National Payment Council officials, issuing instructions to prepare final proposals within the next two weeks on Russia's negotiating position regarding accession to FATCA, which is expected to come into effect on January 1, 2013.


The second possible model also rests on an intergovernmental agreement that would, unlike the previous option, lay the groundwork for centralized disclosure (this model has been implemented in France, Great Britain, Germany, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands). If the model is adopted, banks will be required to submit all relevant information about U.S. taxpayers to the national regulator, which will then pass it on to the IRS. In return, the United States pledges to disclose to its partner nations information about accounts opened with U.S. financial organizations by their relevant taxpaying residents.
The third option, strictly in line with U.S. law, also suggests direct agreements between Russian banks and the IRS, but is even harder on the banks. Aside from reporting to the U.S. tax authorities, the banks would be under obligation to deduct a 30-percent tax from or even close the accounts of those refusing to cooperate with the IRS. Yemelin noted that such a scenario, alongside the danger of breaching bank privacy laws, involves potentially problematic direct debit withdrawals for the benefit of a foreign government.
According to Yemelin, to implement any of the three options, additional national laws must be adopted. The procedure must also be mapped out by October 1, 2012, to followed by an intergovernmental agreement with the U.S. that must be entered into by January 1, 2013. In addition, banks need to be advised promptly of the particular compliance mechanism selected, to prevent them from entering into individual agreements with the IRS.

"The most favorable and comfortable scenario for Russia would be to combine options", said Konstantin Trapaidze, Chairman of the Bar Association Vash Yuridichesky Poverenny. "First, we have to go with the model used by Switzerland and Japan ‒ individual agreements ‒ and work by this scheme until an intergovernmental agreement between Russia and the United States is reached on centralized transfer of information. Otherwise, the given initiative, which is so far feeble and unauthorized, will take on an unbalanced character, damaging Russian banks most of all," Trapaidze said. Meanwhile, the banks will have to bear the brunt of the accession anyway, head of financial monitoring at SMP Bank Inga Tumasyeva said: "Either way, the banks will incur material costs involved in implementing the changes. They have no choice, though, since they will otherwise become outcasts: compliance with FATCA has been virtually accepted by the global community."
If you have Unreported Income from Russian Banks or
other Foreign Banks, contact the Tax Lawyers of
Marini & Associates, P.A. for a FREE Tax Consultation at www.TaxAid.us orwww.TaxLaw.ms or Toll Free at 888-8TaxAid (888 882-9243).

other Foreign Banks, contact the Tax Lawyers of
Marini & Associates, P.A. for a FREE Tax Consultation at www.TaxAid.us orwww.TaxLaw.ms or Toll Free at 888-8TaxAid (888 882-9243).
Source:
Russia Behind the Headlines
Read more at: Tax Times blog