Originally Posted by dalflyer
I've been offered employment with Air Japan through PARC. I need to know before I accept the contract if I'd be liable for Japanese taxes on my pay if I'm working on a contract. Commuting from the US, based in Tokyo.
Thanks in advance.
Dal
Legally you will be personally liable to pay tax, as a U.S. citizen, you will be getting yourself into a real mess on this contract, especially as a commuter. If you were based in Japan (which you won't be) you would be able to pay Japanese Tax, and be entitled to a US75,000 US Tax break on your overseas income. However in Air Japan you will be domeciled in the US so no residency privilages in Japan, so to remain legal, which you really need to with the IRS breathing down your neck, you will have to pay US tax on all your Air Japan income.
Also think very hard about what you are getting into here. PARC paint a very rosey picture, however the reality is the Management of Air Japan are a bunch of fanatical racial A$$holes. The Morale here is rock bottom, most of the current old timers like me (over 4 years) are looking at getting out. You will enter on B scale F/O pay, about US2000 per month less than the A scale F/O's and if you do eventually upgrade to Captain, you will then be on B scale captains pay for the rest of your time here, very demoralising.
More than half your flying will be multi sector night freighters to some hellhole in China and back, and your commuting will be on your time, so to the States you can write off 3 to 4 days per month travelling, so enjoy your 6 days at home per month with your family. Forget about operating into say HNL then going home, not enough crew resources for that, and even if it were they would think you were getting it too easy. Nasty bits of work, and they haven't forgiven Hiroshima yet I was reliably told in my training.
You will never get to touch the controls during your line training, or for that matter at any time you fly with a Japanese Captain, in the their view F/O's are incapable of flying, you will also have to suffer flying with the over 60's Japanese incompetant captains quite regularly, I hope your life insurance is well up to date when that happens.
As I said, think very hard before you commit to Air Japan, as part of a very old Japanese company (ANA) they are very difficult to work for as a foreigner, and trust me you have no hope of changing them, they are very, very stubourn.
For an American NCA, who are expanding very rapidly, would have been a far better choice for you if you feel you really have to come to Japan to work for some deep seated Freidian reason, trust me this place is the pits.
All the best!