On the lighter side of IRS lunacy, here’s a round-up of coverage on the Star Trek video debacle that is spreading across the universe at warp-speed. The truly head-shaking, face-palming and nausea-inducing power of this video needs to be experienced in its full, five-and-a-half-minute glory to be fully appreciated. If you haven’t heard about this thing yet then it’s time you step onto the bridge, take a seat and hang-on for the ride as the “Captain” intones:
“Space: the Final Frontier
These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise Y
Its never-ending mission is to seek out new tax forms
To explore strange new regulations
To boldly go where no government employee has gone before.”
Yeesh, and I thought some of our parody ideas have been a tad lame…
Here are a few other insights into an IRS program that clearly deserves honourable-mention in Nina Olson’s next TAS report:
http://dailycaller.com/2013/03/23/heres-the-irs-star-trek-video-you-paid-for-america/#ixzz2ONSWyUEW
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/23/irs-star-trek-video_n_2939090.html
My favourite part is where one of the members of the ground party reports, “Captain, we’ve uncovered a complex tax-evasion scheme using several off-planet accounts.”
We’ve been saying for a long time that the IRS will hunt you down, no matter where in the universe you may reside – now we have unequivocal proof.
“It’s got the same production values and acting talent as a porn movie, except the only one getting screwed is you.”
What a piece of shite video like this does to trainees, is to leave the impression that they are free to waste taxpayer’s dollars. Pretty clear that they used IRS employees as actors. Hiring low grade union actors would not have added that much cost to the making of the video, but what a boost in morale it is for some new IRS employees to think that they too can one day star in a great IRS production.
Don’t feel so bad though, the big chunk of our retirement saving we sent to the IRS from the sale of our home in Canada covered the cost of it.
yeah, you Point out that the acting crew wasted a couple of $1000 workdays working on the video. No doubt the Conference had such important content as the video.
They didn’t release the GIlligans Island video. No doubt it is on lockdown, they are probably worried about civil unrest and they might have to use the 1.7 trillion rounds of ammunition they have purchased in the last months.
So, is it UATCA now, for Universe Account Tax Compliance Act, or PATCA for Planet. Just can’t decide. Guess the IRS could fund a focus group to help us decide.
@Just Me
No change required – FATCA now stands for Federation Account Tax Compliance Act. I fully expect the IRS to release a new series of TV ads starring William Shatner. It’s only logical.
The intro should be changed to “Space: the area between Obama’s ears…”
At least the IRS are trying to have a sense of humour.
@monalisa1776, regarding the IRS sense of humour;
Defining my legal, local chequing account (located an easy walk from my house) to be a ‘foreign’ one subject to extortionate penalties – just because it isn’t in Kansas, is typical of a IRS-style prank.
Deeming a Canadian child’s Registered Education Savings Plan funded by a Canadian grandma a ‘foreign trust’ subject to US taxes and the Bank Secrecy Act is a wild joke.
Holding all of us ‘abroad’ responsible for paying the US taxes for the big fat nothing we get in return – on TOP of the tax we pay to the country where we actually earn and live is hilarious.
The threat of a 10,000. plus FBAR penalty for the mere existence of a potential to co-sign on a legal non-US bank account belonging to a non-US employer or volunteer community group where we have no financial interest is hysterical.
Taxing the sale of our principal residence bought with already taxed money, located outside the US, and co-owned with a non-US citizen is so funny it makes me weep.
The thought of sharing any of my Canadian earned estate with the US, and depriving my non-US spouse and family is so funny, I might die laughing.
The IRS has more fun than a barrel full of monkeys.
Grooooooooossssssss
WTF. An insult to Star Trek. And an insult to Switzerland and other countries that might have lower income taxes but gain revenue for other sorts of taxes and fees: highway sticker, high fuel taxes, and Billag (Annual television/radio tax that everyone is forced to pay by law, but doesn’t count as an income based tax for the Foreign Tax Credit).
And our currency is not being devalued. It is overvalued to the extent that the BNS is being forced to print Swiss Francs to buy Euros in order to devalue it to keep us (somewhat) competitive. And all the while the Fed has taken actions that devalue the USD.
And the IRS captain refuses the coffee because he has already used up his per-diem. Coy or Daft?
I could only watch about half this video before becoming disgusted and stopping it.
IRS has New Forms for Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Letter and Attachment
Form 14457 (March 2013) Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Letter, here.
Form 14454 (March 2013) Program Letter Attachment, here.
*Federal Tax Crimes Blog
the link > http://federaltaxcrimes.blogspot.ch/2013/03/irs-has-new-forms-for-offshore.html
Although somewhat humorous, this video illustrates how the IRS views its “core mission” – which is of course to pursue and abuse abuse taxpayers. (I wonder if this is somehow part of the “cops and robbers” mentality of U.S. culture.) Frankly, I think the IRS should be embarrassed by this. It reveals everyting about its attitude.
I have heard it said that:
“People tend to rise and fall to the level of your expectations”.
Therefore the easiest way for the IRS to create a culture of “tax cheats” is to presume/expect that everybody is a “tax cheat”. The converse is also true – in order to create a culture of tax compliance, you start with expectation that people are NOT tax evaders.
On a pragmatic level, if you reduce the number and complexity of forms, you reduce the amount of “Form Crime”.
Here is another video which is not made by the IRS but is a video of Douglas Shulman. Have a good look at this. Note particularly the part where he suggests that the core mission of the IRS – the video demonstrates this is a lie – is somehow to “serve” rather than “pursue”.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6EVB5D4FWE
This is madness! All U.S. citizens abroad should thank the Lord that you don’t live in the U.S.? What are those of you with Green Cards doing living there?
Judicious use of your contributions to the IRS:
http://www.accountingtoday.com/news/IRS-Lifts-Veil-Star-Trek-Gilligans-Island-Videos-66142-1.html?ET=webcpa:e6860:241779a:&st=email
The Star Trek video served as the opening of a training and leadership conference in 2010 about current and future issues facing the IRS Small Business/Self-Employed Division. The IRS admitted that the video may not have been the best use of taxpayer funds. “The IRS recognizes and takes seriously our obligation to be good stewards of government resources and taxpayer dollars,” said the IRS. “There is no mistaking that this video did not reflect the best stewardship of resources.
…
This new oversight process will ensure that all IRS videos are handled in a judicious manner that makes wise use of taxpayer funds while ensuring a tone and theme appropriate for the nation’s tax system. These efforts will help strengthen overall IRS video efforts and ensure all IRS video operations remain fully focused on taxpayer service and employee education and training. In addition, this effort will make sure all videos reflect a tone and content appropriate for administering the nation’s tax system.”
Dan Alban, @Frimp13, is the lawyer that has beat the IRS so far with the Loving Lawsuit, has been tweeting about this….
https://twitter.com/Frimp13/status/316229131266322432
https://twitter.com/Frimp13/status/316229522460651520
Any of you with twitter accounts I would recommend following him.
@Taxgirl with her article at Forbes makes some good points here about Max Baucus hypocrisy. Remember Max, as he was the champion of FATCA and equally a co-enabler of it with Carl Levin. Just in case any of you forget.
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