I am watching the Public Broadcasting, NewsHour show, and they are going to have a segment on the U.S. lecturing China about what it says are its Human Rights violations. Now to me it seems most ironic that the U.S. on the one hand tells the other nations of the world that they do not have the right to tell the U.S. how to treat it’s citizens but yet the U.S. is always lecturing other nations on how to treat their citizens.
Those of you who, as I did, may have received a letter from Canada’s Minister of Finance, the Honorable J. Flaherty, will remember that inside the body of the letter that the minister’s way of distancing Canada from the IRS problem, was that Canada will not tell the U.S. how to tax its citizens. Well as far as I am concerned that hands off position is a bunch of crap. Canada has good legal grounds upon which to oppose the U.S. practise of citizenship based taxation. I believe that it has at least the law of “precedent” on its side because the U.S. has for so long ignored enforcement of this law and enforcement of FBAR filings. Certainly those who renounced before 1986 have a legitimate Human Rights complaint and Canada, as their representative, needs to take their case to the U.N. or the World Court.
Let the unjust U.S. laws see the light of day!
I would think that Mr. Flaherty might at least be concerned about how another country taxes Canadian citizens who happen to hold dual citizenship in the US.
I agree re: “the minister’s way of distancing Canada from the IRS problem, was that Canada will not tell the U.S. how to tax its citizens…Well as far as I am concerned that hands off position is a bunch of crap. Canada has good legal grounds upon which to oppose the U.S. practise of citizenship based taxation”
If it sucks assets out of Canada – then isn’t that a huge concern? Flaherty and the Feds keep saying that they are concerned that the Canadian public isn’t saving enough for retirement and households hold too much debt. Well, If we’re paying to the IRS, then we’re not saving, or buying Canadian goods and services with that money – unless you count accountants and lawyers. And that money going to accountants and lawyers, isn’t going towards our retirement or our children’s tuition – plus we can’t buy RESPs because the IRS steals all the benefit from them – and burdens us with the threat of wiping us out completely – with form filing penalties. One form error could bankrupt a family – and then we’d have no recourse but welfare. How is that in Canadian interests?