Mark Twain wishes to advise Brockers who Tweet, that there will be a Twitterfest opportunity to ask questions of the Republican response to Obama’s SOTU speech.
This from Facebook page of Congressman Robert Pittenger.
Next week President Obama will give his 6th State of the Union, and I’m interested to hear what you think. During the #SOTU, tweet me your questions using #NC09SOTU. After the Republican Response, I’ll take a few minutes to answer your questions! Tweet away!Congressman Pittenger will answer as many of your questions as possible. It’s that easy!
Whatever your political flavor choice, ask questions when politicians (Reps or Dems) are in a listening mode. Increase FATCA visibility for the Homeland.
Maybe ask why is Treasury NOT AFRAID that the Republican FATCA Repeal Effort will impede their the Administrations GATCA efforts.
Note: Robert Pittinger spoke at Republicans Abroad meeting at the Oslo embassy, together with Iowa Rep Steve King and Minn Rep Michele Bachmann. Many FATCA questions were asked.
WOW! So all we do is tweet him with the hashtag and then ask the question or all at once am reading in a hurry
Great way to get our points across and no escape from answering difficult questions for the whole world to read
@JustMe
IS the Oslo RA meeting “up” somewhere?
in Oslo, er, uh, one question was asked by, er, uh, me about “tax issues for persons overseas” to which Steve King responded “what do you mean?” and then into some blurb about 17% flat tax, which if it is an income tax would be a killer to expats. Pittenger was quiet .
However, Pittinger is pictured on the Repubs Overseas page and on the Repubs Overseas Albania page shaking hands with their head honcho at the RNC convention. He is the only real Congressperson visible with Repubs Overseas.
Not quite the same as a twitterfest, but its along the same lines. It would seem that we can record a 60 second video with your name, location, and a question you’d like to ask and then post it on YouTube or Google+ and share it publicly with the hashtag #AskObama2014 for the first-ever Presidential Google Hangout Road Trip. Perhaps if they get enough submissions, FATCA can be shown in the proper light and context to everyone
http://googleblog.blogspot.ca/2014/01/hit-road-with-president-obama-in-first.html
I believe the ACA can and should play an important role in this twitterfest as they know what is going on in other countries and that we are not a myth
Ask what they will do to advocate that the IRS and Treasury concentrate their efforts on US RESIDENTS. Who after all do NOT have to have NON-US ‘offshore’ accounts for the most part, but choose to (excepting new immigrants with pre-existing homeland accounts that cannot be dissolved, and US residents who need operating accounts elsewhere for travel, business, family, etc.). Whereas, we must have local non-US accounts to live, they are all registered with our home country tax agency (ex. CRA) and we’ve already paid one full set of taxes.
Plenty of opportunities for the IRS and Treasury inside the US:
http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2014/01/16/where-are-the-u-s-s-millionaires/?mod=WSJ_article_EditorsPicks
@Tricia
It maybe in comments somewhere, but I am behind in reading… Might search on Swedish or Swedish Citizen in the archives. Maybe @MarkTwain knows, as he follows this carefully…
http://samuelclemmons.wordpress.com/2014/01/24/rep-pittenger-desombre-reps-overseas/
if you don’t have facebook
http://samuelclemmons.wordpress.com/2014/01/24/desombre-albania/
Reps Overseas Albania
(Oslo RA meeting was not interesting—-besides being an opportunity to give a FATCA summary paper, it was more about guns & God & Libya & Lebanon. One day and $100 travel expenses for marginal beneift)
Re: Badger
(excepting new immigrants with pre-existing homeland accounts that cannot be dissolved, and US residents who need operating accounts elsewhere for travel, business, family, etc.)”
In regards to immigrants. Even long time immigrants have a life in their home country. Money were gifts or after tax money (earned in the US & already been taxed prior in the US) or whatever that has been invested or saved in the home country, known by their gov’t, joint accounts with family members… are being screwed by this issue. I never realized I was a dang tax evader. We arrived poor to the US…worked & scrimped to save every penny we made. Never even dreamed we would be in this mess. Our simple logic was… money earned (interest.. etc) in whatever country is paid there.. seemed fair to me… To even screw it up even more… immigrants may also have legal residence in other countries & u are correct.. need to bank & invest there. Because of the US… where I can’t vote… btw… need help…head back to your country. This rope around our neck will ruin many lives, including ours. I tell other immigrants & they think I am crazy. They tell me the same thing… how is it the US’s business. I am a legal guest… you are now holding a knife to my throat & u are legally robbing me so how is that fair? Then after u rob me… legal immigration can be taken away… head back to your country the same way u came to the US… poor. So please understand… even residents of the US who are immigrants are in the same boat you are as expats. Rules were never explained to us when we came. Won’t use their OVID program… translates to… I will save you the work & I will bring the knife. Sorry for being so long… I decided to unlurk & also thank you all for this wonderful web site so that info gets out because in the US, I haven’t really heard much about it. When I do… everyone seems to think off-shoring is only for the rich.. Hate to break it to u… I am far from rich. Pretty soon.. I will be poor & will need gov’t help….wait… can’t use that cause I will probably be booted out after U rob me
@US_Person_Foreigner,
You are absolutely right. And that is a valuable reminder to me and to others who are not immigrants to the US, that those inside the US have big problems with this too. I am certain for example, that there are many Canadians who moved to the US for work or study or marriage, and left behind their RRSP or other registered accounts – and did not file FBARs or the like, because they didn’t know the obligation or the problem existed. Some registered and other accounts left behind cannot be dissolved, or only at a great loss or in very specific circumstances. Some must be kept joint with family, or for estates, or to support a relative. I understand that. And I know that this nightmare also applies when people living in the US just have a POA in order to help out their aging parents abroad for when they can no longer manage their own affairs.
I should have worded it better. What I was trying to say is that I and others like me who live entirely outside the US have absolutely NO banking or savings options that the IRS and US doesn’t vilify. None. We cannot even have ‘local’ bank accounts which are not subject to FBAR and the 3520/A, and now FATCA. Any account – even one belonging to a Non-US employer must be reported and counts towards our FBAR threshold and any penalty levied. My point was that US residents do at least have at least minimal LOCAL options, which we do not have at all.
The problem is the US vilifying ALL banking and saving outside the US. And in our two countries the US and Canada – they are so entwined with flows of people back and forth, that these FBAR and FATCA laws make it impossible to have normal banking and financial lives outside the US.
@US_Person_Foreigner
” Rules were never explained to us when we came.”
This is a constant theme we bring up whenever possible in blogs, etc. WE know they aren’t explaining it to you. They didn’t explain it to us either.
Glad you unlurked though sorry to hear of your dilemma. Please keep posting. It does help, somehow.
tonight’s the night
Robert Pittenger
I’m gearing up for the #SOTU tonight. Have questions? Tweet them using #NC09SOTU