The provisions commonly known as the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) became law in March 2010.
- FATCA targets tax non-compliance by U.S. taxpayers with foreign accounts
- FATCA focuses on reporting:
- By U.S. taxpayers about certain foreign financial accounts and offshore assets
- By foreign financial institutions about financial accounts held by U.S. taxpayers or foreign entities in which U.S. taxpayers hold a substantial ownership interest
The objective of FATCA is the reporting of foreign financial assets; withholding is the cost of not reporting.
To avoid being withheld upon, a foreign financial institution may register with the IRS, obtain a Global Intermediary Identification Number (GIIN) and report certain information on U.S. accounts to the IRS.
https://www.irs.gov/Businesses/Corporations/Foreign-Account-Tax-Compliance-Act-FATCA
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