Data Points brings you the latest updates from our Housing, Goods & Services, and Tax departments. These highlights are based on our expert international surveys, which are conducted on location by our global data collection team.

As we close out the year and look to 2020, we are highlighting the most impactful news for Global Mobility in 2019. Last week, we posted our top 5 downloads and our top 5 mobility policy articles. Today's post features the most popular tax news that we published this year.

Before assignee’s arrive in South Korea, it’s important for them to understand the variety of ways to rent a property. In general, there are three different rental payment methods in South Korea, and a mix of all three is typically used in any given city.

A new year is once again upon us. As we turn the page on 2019, it's important to take stock of what we learned before we transition to 2020 and the continued change we anticipate seeing across Global Mobility. Below, you'll find the top 5 downloads that have helped shape our views on where mobility is in 2019 and where it will go in 2020.

China has implemented measures that generally reduce social security contributions. The reductions are primarily targeting employer contributions to the social insurance programs and are part of a multi-year effort to unify pension systems at the national level. However, the social insurance wage base has increased in Shanghai, resulting in an increase in employee contributions to social security for Shanghai taxpayers. The net effect is a reduction in income tax for Shanghai taxpayers as the increased employee social contributions are deductible.

The United Kingdom and Switzerland have completed a transitional agreement to maintain social security rights in the event of a no-deal Brexit. The deal also preserves working privileges, residency rights, and freedom of movement between the two countries.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) that went into effect January 1, 2018 included a provision that limited the amount of state and local taxes (SALT) that are deductible for Federal tax purposes to $10,000 per year (previously uncapped). The SALT limit disproportionately impacted middle-to-high income residents of high-tax states that pay more than the new $10,000 limit.

Data Points brings you the latest updates from our Housing, Goods & Services, and Tax departments. These highlights are based on our expert international surveys, which are conducted on location by our global data collection team.

As expatriates assigned to Buenos Aires search for rental housing, they may soon ask an all too common question: "What is the ABL Tax and how much does it cost?”

As expatriates in Japan search for rental housing, they should be aware of a common fee required on top of rent and security deposit. This payment is called ‘key money’ or in Japanese, ‘reikin’ (礼金).