Quote:
Originally Posted by Playbig2000
I didn't think poker was included in the treaties, but of course I could be wrong.
That's not how those treaties look like. They don't list any specific activities. The following is everything related to income in the US that's in the tax treaty between the US and the country that I'm a citizen of:
Quote:
The existing taxes to which this Convention shall apply are: a) In the United States:
aa) the federal income taxes imposed by the Internal Revenue Code (but excluding the accumulated earnings tax, the personal holding company tax, and social security taxes); and
bb) the excise tax imposed on insurance premiums paid to foreign insurers (hereinafter referred to as “United States tax”).
That's all. Everything federal income tax is included.
That doesn't apply to me because I'm a "resident alien" right now. OP is a "non-resident alien" though and specifically in the US on a student visa. The latter is important to be able to claim tax treaty benefits. Other non-resident aliens have to pay taxes in the US on the part of their worldwide income that's effectively connected to the US. That's not the case on a student visa.
Generally speaking the tax treaties are between another county and the federal government of the US, not individual states and therefore don't apply to the latter. At that point it starts getting pretty difficult though and I'm not sure if it would be worth the hassle to try to recoup 7% of $9k = $630?
FWIW, basically all European pros who play in the WSOP (and other tournaments) are tax residents of countries that have a double tax treaty with the US and therefore don't pay taxes on their gambling winnings in the US.