Taxes

President Duque Signs 2020 National Tax Law; Favors Lower-Income Groups, Jobs Growth

Medellin Herald December 28, 2019

Colombia President Ivan Duque on December 27 signed into law a new national tax bill that mainly helps lower-income people and incentivizes job growth in legal industries. The new law “seeks to continue promoting economic development and creates the basis for reducing inequality and closing

Visas

Colombia Visa Changes Continue; Permanent Residents Can Avoid Bogota Trip

Medellin Herald July 11, 2019

New rules adopted by the Colombian government allow long-time foreign nationals with existing, valid permanent residency status in Colombia to avoid the once-every-five-years trip to Bogota to renew the visa that’s already stamped inside your non-Colombian, foreign passport. However, already-permanent, long-time legal residents here (editor’s note: I’ve been

Taxes

Colombian Congress Approves 2019 Tax Law

Medellin Herald December 20, 2018

Colombia President Ivan Duque and Minister of Finance Alberto Carrasquilla on December 19 both hailed final votes in the Colombian House and Senate to approve a revised tax package for 2019. “The approved bill retains the initial spirit of protecting the most vulnerable population of the country and strengthening the collection through the taxation of […]

Laws & Regulations

Toxic Mercury Dumping Declines in Antioquia: USAID ‘Legal Gold’ Analysis

Medellin Herald July 17, 2018

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) “Oro Legal” (legal gold) project management announced July 17 that toxic mercury dumping and processing has declined “significantly” among artisanal gold-mining operations in Bajo Cauca as well as Northeast Antioquia. The agency noted that Colombia officially banned all further use of mercury in gold-mining activities

Visas

Colombia Visa Changes Take Effect November 2

Medellin Herald September 29, 2017

Colombia’s foreign ministry (Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriorores) has announced that changes to its visa regulations will take effect November 2. In the announcement (see complete text in Spanish here: http://legal.legis.com.co/document?obra=legcol&document=legcol_74fa455ce7e44df19296af36ef78d8e8), the Ministry clarifies that it’s regrouping many different

Taxes

Expat Taxes for USA 2016 Tax Year: Avoid Confusion

Medellin Herald February 1, 2017

Editor’s Note: The following column was written by IRS enrolled agent and chartered financial analyst (CFA) John Ohe of Hola Expat Tax Services. Medellin Herald does not specifically endorse the author’s opinion; this column is for general information only and should not be construed as personal tax advice. There is a lot of confusion among US expats […]

Taxes

Colombia Congress, President OK Tax-Reform Law; Could Boost Business Investment

Medellin Herald December 29, 2016

Colombia’s House and Senate on December 28 voted to approve a wide-ranging tax-reform law, which won immediate approval from President Juan Manuel Santos. The complete text of the new law is available here. The new law is expected to generate an extra COP$6 trillion (US$2 billion) annually for the national treasury — partially compensating for a […]

Taxes

Expats: You May Still Buy IRA’s, but Beware of Limitations

Medellin Herald December 28, 2016

Editor’s Note: The following column was written by IRS enrolled agent and chartered financial analyst (CFA) John Ohe of Hola Expat Tax Services. Medellin Herald does not specifically endorse the author’s opinion; this column is for general information only and should not be construed as personal tax advice. An Individual Retirement Account (IRA) is a popular and smart […]

Taxes

Colombia’s Tax Reform Proposal: Better for Business, Investment

Medellin Herald October 20, 2016

Colombia’s Home Minister (Ministro de Hacienda) Mauricio Cardenas on October 19 finally unveiled a long-awaited, 182-pages-long tax reform proposal that would bring business and investment taxes more in-line with international standards — and thus help Colombia attract more investment while creating more “formal” employment as well as more personal income taxes.