Final Word from Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Czechs are upset by an immigration bill passed in the U.S. Senate last week that would make Poland eligible for the visa-waiver program but not the CR. President Václav Klaus said he is glad for the Poles, but such generosity toward others isn't what Czechs are most known for. Many Czechs would prefer to retaliate by imposing visas on Americans. These Czechs can experience a dose of schadenfreude at a separate bill signed into law in the U.S. this month. It raises the taxes on Americans working overseas. It won't affect the English teachers, but it deals a big blow to some American managers with high housing and schooling costs. The tax hike - effective retroactively to Jan. 1 - is so great that companies might be forced to cut back on U.S. staff abroad. The good news for Czechs and other Europeans is that this will likely open up more jobs for them in U.S. companies in Europe. [Czech Republic USA United States foreign tax credit]