And it just gets better. This is so funny that I just had to share it with you.
I discovered that one of “my” senators is up for re-election in 2012. So I went to her opponents website to learn a little more about him and read up on his platform. I really liked what I saw so I did what I do normally and sent a campaign contribution.
The morning I got an email (a very nice email) from the person who manages these things for his campaign thanking me for my contribution but also saying that I was “red-flagged” because of the foreign address. So she rather apologetically asked for two things from me:
1. confirmation that I am a US citizen or Green Card holder
2. A US address.
Whoa! The first I think I can sort of understand but not the second. From what I understood from the mail the reporting for the FEC does not allow them to enter a foreign address connected to a campaign contribution (can anyone confirm that?)
I’m not angry at the candidate or his campaign team – on the contrary the person who wrote to me handled it very well. It was also a good opportunity for me to write a mail back talking about Americans abroad and what issues were of heightened interest to us in this election year. My contact promised to pass it along to him.
That said, it is another glorious example of how Americans abroad find barriers to participating fully in the homeland political process.
Amazing.
So they would allow a contribution from a green card holder resident in the US but not from a citizen outside of it? Where is the logic there? Is anyone else amazed that they are even allowed to accept contributions from non-citizens??
Don, I’m not surprised / amazed / shocked / alarmed at anything positive or negative that comes out of the US anymore.
Think about their logic towards people in my category: I was born there, but went away when I was in my early twenties. They expect me to “renounce” US citizenship / (where I was born), if I want to live an unfettered life overseas.
I’m really quite happy where I live now, but I find it idiotic beyond words that I am required to do this and then secure a tourist visa to go back to vist family!!
Oh well.. some good movies to take your mind off of things, that don’t have anything to do with the American Empire, apart from their names are:
1- Le Declin de L’Empire Americain
2- Les Invasions Barbares
3- L’Age des Tenebres
I just found out about this 3rd sequel this morning, so I’m very happy, and anxious to watch it. These movies are Canadian, by the way. You guys can watch them in French, but I had to watch the 1st two with Portuguese subtitles. Sigh.. I need to get around to printing out the pdf files for my French books.
@Victoria, US law does not permit political candidates to accept political donations from non-resident foriegn citizens, but I am surprised that this candidate woud turn down a donation from a US citizen resident abroad. The law does not prohibit that, as far as I know.
@Roger – Oh they did take the contribution once I supplied a US address so in the end it was not a problem. And I must emphasize that my contact was very diplomatic and very nice about it. This person was very clear that she wasn’t trying to annoy me but the system did require more information before they could accept. As I said in the post I could understand asking about citizenship but I don’t understand why a US address would be required (if indeed it is). I just got off the phone with a friend here – she’s an American citizen who has lived in France for 28 years. Her mother is still alive and living in the U.S. and so she can use her mom’s address for now. What is she going to do when her mother passes away and she no longer has a legitimate US address that she can use?
@geeeez
Are these proper movies or short documentary clips that are on youtube? Just did a quick check there and couldn’t find any of them?
they are real movies. Pretty good too.
Victoria, maybe all of us US citizens abroad can set up a bunch of SuperPACs and then we can donate to whatever candidates we like and the homeland public would be none the wiser. Thanks, Citizens United! All joking aside though, at least it seems like this candidate has a modicum of integrity.
@zucchero81 – That is a damn good idea. What should we called it? Expats United? Uh, OK I’m not good at naming stuff. Perhaps someone has a something more catchy? 🙂
I’m with you – I do like this candidate and I feel good about him and his staff. Seem like good people.
If there is one thing that can rival the tax-evasion corruption, it is campaign contribution corruption. Be careful, jail sentences are common.
Also, US residents cannot vote, must be a citizen, though no one knows or can check these things. Voting turnout is only about 30%.
The general impression is that all politicians are crooks, so they take matters in their own hands, and that includes money and taxation.
So we can vote but we can’t donate to the campaign of the politician we want to vote for if we use an overseas address. This means that the true nature of our cause gets masked and once again our vote gets lumped in with all of the other local votes. Local votes that have nothing in common with our specific needs. How much more clearly can it be made known that an expat vote is a wasted vote?
Yet when it comes to taxing our overseas incomes the government doesn’t have a problem with us using an overseas address to file and remit. They certainly have no problems with taking overseas money in order to fund their domestic spending. So hypocritical of them.
@Victoria and @ recalcitrant
Couldn’t using a US address when we don’t reside there have other adverse implications?
How about FATCA where one of the thins the banks will determine is if account holders have a US address?
@calgary411- that is true. A U.S. address would be one of the indicia of U.S. citizenship and bank reporting requirements.
@Victoria
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17189739
I’m curious what your thoughts are about Hollande’s proposed 75% tax rate over 1 million Euros. Since no other country has this tax, won’t this just speed up the number of wealthy French fleeing to other EU countries and Switzerland? Did he also propose a “solidarity tax” on French expats along the lines of the Eritrean one?
@Don – the solidarity tax is something put forward by several Socialists. They’d like to go after those evil French tax evaders in California or Massachussetts. They need to “pay their share” and so on and so forth. 🙂
What do I think about Hollande’s proposal? Good question because it’s not clear why he is proposing this. You can’t take what the French pols say at face value because the context is everything. Why did he say this, to whom and why now? Is it a play against someone else? Is it an attempt to get the far left on his side? Is he serious? Is he semi-serious? Impossible to tell but multiple interpretations are possible. Personally I think he’s not at all serious and there is another deeper darker reason for the proposal.
Yes, if we all could get together in terms of voting. But how to organize this? There is now a Facebook Marylanders Abroad that already has 61 mmbers of the Democratic Party. We should perhaps have a Facebook of Americans Abroad to try to organize ourselves. Yes we can´t contact the representatives if the State where we last lived and worked if we are not in their distrtict. Only by fax. I have sent e-mail to one of my senators.
It would be great if the candidates start become aware that there are a lot of votes out here.
@Don and Victoria
I believe there is an ECJ case restricting the ability of EU Member states to tax their citizens living in other EU member states. The case did involve France and some day I’ll find it and post a link. I also note that I believe all of the Double Tax Treaties France has signed with the exception of the one with US would block any attempt at least to impose income tax on France citizens living in other countries. (Note: at least income tax, the tax treaties in question may not offer an protection from some type of wealth levy for example).
My main concern about voting in a state election is that one could wind up being pursued for state income taxes if using a local address in said state.
Why are you waving a red cape in front of the bull? Foolish.
@Joe Smith – not sure what you mean by “waving a red cape.” Could you explain?
@Mona – that is a very good point. Are the states going after expats for taxes too? I’m from Washington which doesn’t have a state income tax so I’ve never had to worry about it.
@Victoria California tried to threaten me after I’d been gone for a decade. I had some California-source income for the first time in a long time, and the check got sent to my grandma’s old address where I used to file from. That triggered some computer program in the state tax office, so they sent a nasty automated letter claiming I had ten years of delinquent returns. I wrote back, but they kept arguing that moving to a foreign country did not constitute abandonment of California domicile because I allegedly had the intention to return. (I’ve heard that New York State tries to claim similar garbage.)
For any other ex-Californians in this situation, the magic words are “Revenue and Taxation Code § 17014(d)” (safe harbor if you’re out of the state for more than 18 months on an employment contract, regardless if you “maintain domicile”) and “18 California Code of Regulations § 17014(c)” (definition of “domicile”). It also helped that I had left the state on a one-way plane ticket, closed all my bank accounts before I left, and am registered as a Hong Kong elector.
“waving a red cape.”
Like a bullfighter egging the bull on. Here it is waving a red flag in front of the IRS and saying come after me.
@Joe – I see what you’re saying but I honestly think that the original red cape was when we all decided to leave the U.S. and not come back. And now, to add insult to injury (from the perspective of the homeland) the vast majority of Americans abroad did not comply with their reporting requirements. Right there I’d say we really pissed them off and now they are out looking for us and they are NOT happy.
What is done is done. We can argue that we didn’t know or understand but that doesn’t seem to be cutting much ice with them. And that leads me to think that in addition to the revenue issue is something that Roger Conklin brings up often – the idea that we have “sinned” in the eyes of the homeland and whatever we say or do, we are in the wrong on all levels in their eyes.
There is a great saying, “when you are already in a hole, stop digging!” I personally think that the folks who try to run and hide are going to get it. The works – fines, possible criminal prosecution and possible deportation from the host country. And it’s so easy to find us. In my case all the US gov has to do is ask the French gov, “do you know where Madame Victoria is?” and I’m 99% sure they’ll give the US an answer. They have a national database you see with my name and origin in it. So I wouldn’t even think of going there. Realistically I think there are only three viable strategies here: 1. Renounce 2. Fight using the political process such as it is or 3. Comply
For what it’s worth I’ve chosen 3, am working on 2 and am holding 1 in reserve. Best I can do. 🙂
This cannot happen in Canada. Are you a French citizen?