Expat Community > Colombia

fecherklyn
Joined 2015
Posts: 1459

Want a headache, read on.

1 year ago

Want a headache? – Read on. I suggest this, not because I am a sadist, but because a significant part of all Expat Exchange posts concern tax liabilities of resident expats and it frequently generates a toxic reception because of its complexity. In fact, the subject is taboo to some members who demean anyone who wants to discuss a tax matter. Well, here I go chin foremost, for those who feel the need to be aggressive – what I have to say is Colombian Taxation is difficult for ordinary mortals to understand for one simple reason, IT IS Structurally HIGHLY COMPLEX and nothing can change that.

I doubt very much if most forum members have ever seen what constitutes Colombian Tax Legislation at its base level – well, here it is below:

Estatuto Tributario Decreto 624 de 1989 (Marzo 30 de 1989)
https://www.mincit.gov.co/ministerio/normograma-sig/procesos-misionales/facilitacion-del-comercio-y-defensa-comercial/decretos/1967-1990/decreto-624-de-1989-2.aspx

Don’t bother to go any further than the 1st page, what I am trying to portray is it is beyond the capacity of 99% persons and you, and I, will never be capable of following the text intelligently. This ET is (presently) 598 pages long and incorporates in red all the modifications decreed since 1989. Given it is also written in text book legalese means you could perhaps find more comfortable reading matter in Chinese.

Is this specifically a Colombian problem – No, to my mind. My 50 years of expatriation have required me to deal with tax matters in 7 different countries and taxation is difficult wherever you are; it is not just Colombian Governmental services that are at fault.

For anyone that dares; you could have a quick glance at “Articulo 9, Impuesto de las personas naturals, residentes y no residentes”, it is the door you can choose to open, or leave closed.

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SJB Global

SJB Global is a top-rated financial advisory firm specializing in expat financial advice worldwide, offering retirement planning & tax-efficient solutions with a regressive fee model.
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SJB Global

SJB Global is a top-rated financial advisory firm specializing in expat financial advice worldwide, offering retirement planning & tax-efficient solutions with a regressive fee model.
Learn More

SJB Global

SJB Global is a top-rated financial advisory firm specializing in expat financial advice worldwide, offering retirement planning & tax-efficient solutions with a regressive fee model.
Learn More

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Expat Community > Colombia

Want a headache, read on.

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