Israel Cleared To Implement FATCA And Report On U.S. Persons

A recent decision by the Israeli Supreme Court has cleared the way for FATCA implementation by lifting a temporary injunction on the disclosure of information to U.S. authorities under Israel's intergovernmental agreement (IGA). In connection with the decision, the Israeli government has agreed to give individual taxpayers at least thirty days to object to the inclusion of their information in data transferred to U.S. authorities under the IGA.

The government also agreed to delay the implementation of the IGA to September 30, 2016. Israeli financial institutions now have until September 20, 2016, to provide the Israeli Tax Authority with the required data on U.S. taxpayers. This is a notable development in Israel where, reportedly, as much as five percent of the population – upwards of 300,000 people – holds U.S. citizenship.