Banks are reporting, ‘Trump cheques’ arriving in New Zealand, along with a letter. The president’s letter was penned to go out with US economic stimulus cheques designed to boost the US economy, but some of the boost is being felt here in New Zealand with cheques landing on the doormats of New Zealand residents with American citizenship.
“Our great country is experiencing an unprecedented public health and economic challenge as a result of the global coronavirus pandemic,” reads the letter signed by US president Donald J Trump. “We are fully committed to ensuring that you and your family have the support you need to get through this time,” it says.
One New Zealander with US citizenship said she’d spent her US1200 (NZ$1850) on a new dishwasher. The woman, who asked not to be named for fear of being trolled by Trump supporters, said, “I knew about the cheques. I had read how they were recalled so they could be reprinted with Trump’s own signature. These cheques were supposed to be about stimulating the US economy,” she said. Instead, hers gave a lift to a New Zealand appliance retailer.
Gina Gatchell, managing director of NZ US Tax Specialists said some of her clients had received the ‘Trump cheques’ as the stimulus cheques are sometimes referred. Every American citizen in New Zealand has to complete a US tax return each year, Gatchell said. The qualifying criteria for the economic stimulus cheques included having a US tax number, and earning under a certain amount each year. There was no requirement for US citizens to be living in the US.
A second round of stimulus cheques may follow, with the president telling Fox News he supported expanding the economic stimulus, including sending out more cheques to Americans, so to find out more about US retirement funds, IRS New Zealand and tax returns NZ please go to http://usglobaltax.com/ .
