She has done it again!
Lynne Swanson, Special to Financial Post
Truly a great article that Canada’s Finance Minister Jim Flaherty can’t ignore…
Dual Canadian-American citizens: We are not tax cheats
We need Canada’s Finance Minister Jim Flaherty to insist that Canadian banks follow Canadian laws. We need Minister Flaherty to reassure Canadian citizens and residents that Canadian laws will not be changed for a foreign nation.
Most importantly, we need our elected officials to tell the United States that Canadian laws are made in Ottawa, not in Washington. We must not allow the United States to FATCA Canada.
Great minds think alike; sorry for the duplicate post. But just to repeat — please everyone who can, go over and add to the comments.
We must have hit enter at almost the same time! Did not want this one to be buried in a thread! 🙂
I knew it wouldn’t take long to get this into its own thread. Great work Blaze/Lynne!
Outstanding piece – I would hope that Rand Paul and others on the Ways and Means Committee get a copy. It sums it all up so well.
It is a truly wonderful article. I have sent the link to my MP and Schoom, Flagerty, Trudeau and May.
I also sent it to all my friends and will also post on Facebook.
I am inspired. Today I went to a Northern Ontario seniors club quarterly meeting of all the clubs in the NE Ontario. I spoke of FATCA… A few people were pretty shocked. I gave out my IBS business cards. It is a small knick but if we all start speaking up we may make a difference. Remember Pierre Trudeau told the USA where to go and welcomed draft dodgers and deserters. Chretien said no to going to Iraq for W. Canada has resisted the USA before and can do so again.
@northernstar,
What a great idea, speaking at the seniors club, and handing out business cards!
What you are doing is an example of how all of us mosquitos acting seperately, but together can have a big impact. Good job!
Okay, I just have to say this because it keeps popping up here and there. It’s Flaherty not Flagerty. I know this probably happens because the “g” and “h” are next to each other on the “querty” keyboard. And, northernstar — ditto what WhiteKat said. I’m not brave enough to speak in public but I’ve been distributing my little FATCA Alert cards in my hometown and surrounding towns. I’m hoping to direct people to Brock to get more information. The community bulletin boards have worked best so far. The banks take down my cards rather quickly. BTW, could someone post a photo of an IBS business card? I could use it as a template to make my own.
I left a comment. It’s an awesome article. I hope it gets widely read but people are so averse to anything that is factual anymore.
Great job!
@Steve Klaus
All Brocker Twitterites should get on it ASAP!
@Lynne,
Great work again, you are my hero! 😉
@northernstar
Yes, I would also like to see the IBS business card. We should try to make them as identical as possible for maximum recognition. I would like to post one in the classifieds of Metroland papers; you place one listing and it is seen in all the 127 Metroland papers in Ontario.
Isaac Brock Society Business Cards. They are designed for Avery #38871, 10 cards to the sheet.
http://isaacbrocksociety.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Brock-business-cards.pdf
@ brockers. FABULOUS article. I wish someone would do the same for the 250K USPs/dual nationals living in the UK !! keep it up!!
Thanks Pacifica.
@crystal london
Why not let that someone be you? I have been pointing the UK press towards FATCA and the one-sided UK IGA for over a year, but so far with little traction. I keep trying.
I have also hounded my UK MP now for over two years over FATCA, but with no effect. I am not a ‘US person’ and neither is he, so all our discussions have been abstract. Much more powerful would be if he, or someone else in a position to change something, had to face a FATCA victim in person.
Oops. ‘… hounded my UK MP now for over two years…’
Thanks again Pacifica, I had meant to download those cards before. I should visit our senior centre as well. Many of them have income so low they wouldn’t meet the requirement to have to file as I did not but, still they might not have known about FBAR and all the rest. Great suggestion!
There are some excellent, heartfelt, well thought out, comments to Lynne’s article! Bravo everyone.
SR has showed up again, and continues to reveal himself for the ass he is. Anything he writes is either an insult or ‘cut and paste’ of some one else’s words.
I’m glad to see everyone is ignoring him this time! Carry on.
@Atticus, the reporting threshold is really low, so I would think many seniors WOULD be required to file. I believe it is around 4k for filing single and 9k for filing married. A small RRIF could be enough to trigger filing requirements. I doubt CPP is reportable due to Canada/US treaty, but not sure about OAS.
i wonder how some of these elderly folks will manage without help and help is so expensive. Even with help you’ve got people with dementia and other physical limitations. This is such a hot mess.
I just printed up more business cards. and also made a paper one with scissor cuts to be put up in ulletin boards. Like people do to sell things….I also printed the allowed 5 reprints free from the article and will post those where I hope they won’t be taken down. I will ask for permission of course. must be polite and courteous. at least get someone to hear my story and perhaps pass on the info to those they know…get the wheel moving. My 83 year old friend is ready to revolt but I said she needs to write her MP..on my business card handouts I have ‘FATCA is coming to get your $ in 2014..Call your MP.
I am thinking of getting a shirt made up..Ask me about FATCA” and the back say “Are you an American person? We need to talk”
Also am thinking of writing to my small town newspaper, as a LTE. Want to make in informative but not long. Any suggestions” It comes out weekly and is free, the weekender one. I could reach more that way. I think when we make it clear this is going to hit their pocketbooks and bank accounts that people will be more attentive. I find there are still the angry unbelievers around. I open to suggestions what I can do in a rural town.
@ AtticusinCanada
Ssssh about the dementia. I was planning to claim that if my plans A, B, C & D fall through.
Last night I took a couple of hours to photoshop some double sided business cards. Front side: Brock’s portrait plus website. Back side: STOP FATCA logo. My printer is nearly out of ink but I got one page of business cards printed and cut (10 to a page). I also managed to get another page of my ALERTS done (4 to a page). Not exactly musket balls but I’m arming myself as best I can.
@Em
You did good…I just downloaded the ones that Pacifica777 sent us in the link. It works with Walmart business cards . 2in by 3 in. perforated you get a 100 out of the package. the brand is @the office.
since I downloaded the cards I can print as I need them. I also printed on computer paper to do the read, rip and tear to be put on bulletin boards that people use to sell things.
@ northernstar
Weapons of Mass Instruction! I might add some rip-off Brock websites to my ALERT cards. It will give me an idea of how much interest there is in small town Alberta. I’ve noticed some people reading my ALERTS but I obviously can’t stick around to see how many.
As we once discussed on another IBS thread, I am so afraid that the other side of warning people is that they will run into the arms of the predatory or incompetent professionals and right into the IRS minnow and krill processing plant. Not everyone can master this information on their own, and not many have any expertise to make sense of it, and many may not have the literacy or language skills either.
It is one of my objections to the lawyer who posted here recently. His assumption that all non-compliant persons were the cause of their own demise, and that immediate action was all that would save them – regardless if they had the funds to get professional advice or the ability to choose a good advocate or to understand their options.
@badger, my objection was the assumption of denial. Many here ARE dealing with what they need to take care of and STILL are going to fight this. Not long from now it will be of no real consequence to me as I would owe nothing ever and I will have renounced. I still think even if IGA comes that the problems it’s going to cause will only be revealed then. MOST Canadians have no clue how this is going to hit their bank yet. Wait till they do. MOST Canadians are not fond of the U.S. shoving their laws over the border. Wait till they hear about this! Even some who now think this is all about UBS and such and getting back at big corps *hilarious since they are NOT going to harm their cash cow* will also no longer be “for it.”
The damage this is going to cause between Canada and the U.S. is not going to be reparable for a long, long, long time.
I think I’m going to get one of those car window shade cardboard things and put a sign on the opposite side of it. So EVERY time I’m out and it’s in my wind shield it will be visible in every parking lot where I shop. Bumper stickers too. I might slap one on the front window of my bank just for fun. lol.