It all began with WWII. During the war, my father was assigned the role of a flamethrower and refused to burn living human beings, regardless if they were Nazis, Jews, Americans or anyone. Being a conscious objector during the war, the Swiss government gave him two choices. Either he could go to jail or he had to leave the country. So, my father went to Canada and then later to America where he is still living today. That’s where I come into the picture.
In 2001, I was working in America and wrote an email to my spouse, who was living in Hong Kong and waiting for approval to join me in America, that there were no job openings in America but that Swiss companies were hiring. Accidently, my employer saw the email and I was fired the next day as well as being kicked out of two financial services (my retirement funds were taxed and cashed without my approval), causing my wife’s immigration application to be resubmitted all over again. It was during the Dot-Com crisis and my chances of finding a job in the US were non-existant.
Laid-off technology experts, such as computer programmers, found a glutted job market. University degree programs for computer-related careers saw a noticeable drop in new students. Anecdotes of unemployed programmers going back to school to become accountants or lawyers were common.
Wiki
At the time, I was working on getting a college degree and sent my resume to over a hundred companies which mostly didn’t respond. Nevertheless, I was able to find a new job locally within a few weeks and was invited to Switzerland for an interview.
So, I flew to Switzerland and was hired by two large international firms at the same time within a few weeks, both offering double the pay and with better benefits. I had to choose. Months later, my spouse joined me there.
11 years later, I learned that Swiss banks were rejecting little people simply because they had US citizenship and as a result of US policy. Since I already had experience of getting kicked out of banks and since I had no reason or motive to work in America, it was clear that the US citizenship had to go.
Living in the US, I did various jobs for many companies and didn’t always have a bad experience. Life in America is not always as grand as it may be believed to be and I often struggled to make a living there. Once I worked on an onion field, earning about $1/hour. Then I delivered papers for about $2/per hour with lots of shoulder pain from the heavy load when helping out other routes. Later, I washed dishes for about $3.5/hour and quit since they refused to give me a 10 cent pay raise, even though I was the fasted and most efficient dish washer they ever had. Prior to that, I was promoted to busboy and then demoted again the same day since my cute Mexican coworker lied about me since I didn’t look Mexican. The customers absolutely loved me and gave me many tips that day. Another time, I was fired from a library because I once made a single 10 cents copy. Ironically, I was hired the next day across the street as a paper copier! In the Army, I worked hard and was rewarded with a punishment to set an example for others, since my ride was late, I got a traffic ticket and my former Mexican roomate who stole my things lied about me in defense of his crimes. Afterwards, I was promoted 3 times in only 6 months but my military spirit had died. Overall, I find that the American job market is often trigger-happy, overreacting to strongly to non-issues. In Switzerland, on the contrary, I’m trusted, my skills and motivation are respected and appreciated and my minor human errors are forgiven.
My advice to anyone thinking about working in America is to think again. It is not for everyone.
It’s awfully cliche but I’ll say it anyway. America’s loss was Switzerland’s gain. Thanks for sharing your experience, swisspinoy. I have an aunt who passed away years ago who was born in the USA (the only one in the family born there) and she was completely oblivious to all this CBT nonsense. She just thought being born in the USA was a quaint circumstance of her life and never thought of herself as anything but Canadian. Thank goodness she never faced what accidental Americans are up against today.
Thanks, Swisspinoy, for the back story of you and your family.
If only all perspective-immigrants to the US could use your experiences as part of their decision.
If only US-born and raised could read your account to see the world opportunities they miss by being fenced in by the US invisible “Wall” around its borders.
I’m American, and met my wife while living in Venezuela. I filed the reams of paperwork to have her come to the US. We married, had two kids, and 15 years later, she still had no permanent residence, much less citizenship. So the last time her temporary ‘papers’ ran out, she went home. What else? She couldn’t work- not legally anyway, ditto drive, travel, take out loans, etc etc. She was, for all intents, a fugitive liable to be busted at any moment. In spite of the fact she always paid taxes, filed 1040’s, and navgiated the sizable American red tape, she was always a temporary visitor in the eyes of Uncle Sam, thanks to being a commoner from a country the US doesn’t like. Now we face the prospect of doing without a wife and mother, or somehow finding another place we can call home. It won’t be Venezuela, unfortunately, given they now dislike Americans as much as anyone. So now we’re casting about, wondering if anywhere else will take us. Did I mention we’re broke, to boot? Citizenship offers should be flooding in any moment now…
Some Questions – A Call For Some Calm, Deep Thinking and Reflection…
What, exactly, is a “US Person”?
Can a “person” be defined as a corporation?
Can a “person” be defined as a trust?
Is a “US Person” the same entity as a living man or woman born in one of the several States?
Is a “US Person” the same entity as a living man or woman born on the land occupied by a US military and/or diplomatic facility outside the physical territory of one of the several States?
If so, Why? Or how so?
If not, why not?
Is Canada the 13th District of the Federal Reserve System?
If so, when did Canada become the 13th District of the Federal Reserve System?
If Canada *is* the 13th District of the Federal Reserve System, did “Canada” or “The Dominion of Canada” already cede its “independence” to the Fed when it was added to the Federal Reserve System?
If not, why not?
Who or What is the Creditor being repaid via the collection of taxes by the IRS from “US Persons”?
Are you a name?
Are you a physical body?
If you are not a name, and not a physical body, is it possible the you might be the paramount security interest holder in all property and collateral, both registered and unregistered, belonging to [the public trust that is commonly known as] THE NAME?
If yes, why?
How can you lawfully stand on such a status?
Can a corporation, or a trust, enter into a lawfully binding contract?
Is there a “Private Side” as well as a “Public Side” to tax matters, to statute law, to dealings with corporations and to lawfully binding Contracts ?
If there is a “Private Side” to these matters, does that “Private Side” hold the key to obtaining remedy in the matters preoccupying the Isaac Brock Society?
If such a remedy *is* available, is it necessary to fight the IRS, or the Federal Reserve System, or the US Government, as proposed by the Isaac Brock Society?
What was the REAL reason for the War of 1812 (Hint: Did it have anything to do with the closure of the Bank Of The United States – a privately owned and operated central bank) ?
What was the function and purpose of the first Bank of the United States?
What is the function and purpose of the Federal Reserve System?
Who is :Mary-Elizabeth: Croft ?
Who is :Winston: Shrout ?
Who is :Brandon-Alexander: Adams ?
Thank you for sharing your experiences in this blog post.
Thanks for telling us your back ground a little more Swisspinoy. I just wish the U.S. didn’t think there was never a good reason not to live there. Stories such as yours tell a completely vapourize that myth.
@ swisspinoy
Your story is linked on whatreallyhappened.com today (Sep 10 09:03).
As always there are new people on IBS. After all another 1 million people need to deal with this in Canada. Atticus and Swiss guy: I recommend Victoria to write anything, She is a brilliant writer.
For me the deal breaker was the realization that when I died, my non-American spouse (who has never having lived in the US and does not speak a good English) would have to fill out the incredibly complicated IRS tax forms if surviving me. How on earth could I allow that?
This might be a good place to post this link to a PDF file of a story that was written by Tax Analysis. It was behind their paywall, and I don’t have permission to post it, but this link might be ok as it is at ACA’s web site as ACA was extensively quoted…
Solving the Expatriation Enigma
By Marie Sapirie — msapirie@tax.org and
Stephanie Soong Johnston — sjohnsto@tax.org
http://americansabroad.org/files/3313/7871/3435/expatriation-enigma.pdf
@Just Me
I read that article and this part stands out to me… prior to 1995, there is no clear directive?
So I ask…why would anyone who left the USA prior to 1990 even have a worry? (hypothetical question)
@h5mind, I’m sorry to hear about the situation with your wife. I used to think that a spouse should become a US citizen instantly upon marriage, but now I’m glad that my spouse never lived in the US. In my view, the only problem that you would have in Venezuela would be getting a job and earning money. Other than that, it is usually pretty easy to get along with people. Most anti-Americanism is aimed at the government and I can’t think of any time that ever had a problem with any anti-American character. One simply needs to nod to some of their views or contribute a bit of criticism, and then one will be accepted as “one of them”, even when pointing out that not all Americans (such as oneself as an example), are bad. If things continue heading along the current route, then America will lose many valuable free little diplomats who reduce hostilities through exposure.
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Very interesting article Just Me:
I liked this;
“…The problem today is the same as it was in 1995.
When the JCT examined the state of the law then
and tried to discern the effects of section 877, it
concluded that ‘‘there is no way of actually know-
ing how many individuals are dissuaded from
expatriating by the existence of the present-law
rules, [but] it is relevant to note . . . that the inci-
dence of expatriation generally, and by wealthy
persons in particular, is relatively insignificant.’’…..
from
‘Solving the Expatriation Enigma’
By Marie Sapirie — msapirie@tax.org and
Stephanie Soong Johnston — sjohnsto@tax.org
http://americansabroad.org/files/3313/7871/3435/expatriation-enigma.pdf
I also liked the mention of all the revenue raising associated with these provisions, the slipping them into unrelated legislation, and the fact that it keeps coming back on a regular basis.
The US homelanders love to hate us apparently, and US politicians love to use us as scapegoats.
Meanwhile, the newest IRS Commissioner Kokinen is a pretty sizable fatcat himself http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-09/obama-s-choice-to-run-u-s-irs-worth-up-to-27-4-million.html , and has a great deal of his personal wealth tied up in large US corporations incorporated in Delaware, who are holding their assets untaxed – ‘offshore’. http://www.forbes.com/sites/connieguglielmo/2013/08/01/apple-google-among-top-u-s-companies-parking-cash-offshore-to-reduce-taxes-study-says/
@Benedict Arnold be me and Badger…
It is a good informative article isn’t it? I would love to make a separate post out of it, but without permission probably should not.
So, I hope the new Commissioner is aware of FATCA, as with his wealth tied up in corporations in Delaware, if they have any undeclared or secret beneficial owners, DATCA will expose them. I wonder if Senator Carl levin will ask the question during the hearings. Remember, he has that bill which he has offered in the Senate to do just that…
http://www.levin.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/summary-of-the-incorporation-transparency-and-law-enforcement-assistance-act
That is S 1465, btw…
https://www.popvox.com/bills/us/113/s1465
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Thanks for your story. I’m thankful to my grandfather, who was born in Hungary, because I found out that i can get dual-citizenship without needing to move to Hungary or requiring me to learn Hungarian. I do speak some of the language because it was my grandfather’s tongue and I want to do more research into his family one day. Hungary has thankfully relaxed their original,tough requirement of needing a person to prove a grandparent was born there and then requiring that person to move to Hungary for a period of five years before citizenship would be granted. So, thanks Grandpa. My acting career is taking off and I may stick around to see how far it takes me and enjoy my martial arts training. However, all of my family is ready to move with me so I may pull the trigger any day! Your story just reminded me of how expensive it is to be an american.