A couple weeks ago, I sent this comment via email to my Conservative MP of Nepean-Carleton, Pierre Poilievre (thank you to Deckard1138 whose wording I borrowed from one of his Brock posts):
Only one week after ushering-in FATCA on Canada Day, Canada’s government is warning the Eritrean consulate to stop harassing Eritrean-Canadians or risk closure of its consulate. Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird made the announcement today in Ottawa.
Fair enough to say that this is certainly one of the most egregiously hypocritical moves the Conservative government has ever made – and there have been far too many to count over the years. I would love to hear Mr. Baird explain to Canadians how it is acceptable for the United States to impose its infinitely more invasive extraterritorial tax laws in Canada but Eritrea’s amateur-hour 2% shakedown warrants impending closure of its consulate? Could it be that Mr. Baird is in fact preparing a subsequent announcement that he will be ordering the immediate closure of the US Embassy as well? Should we give him the benefit of the doubt?
Today I received this ‘enlightened, and well argued’ (NOT) response back:
The United States collects taxes based on citizenship, rather than residency. This means that a US citizen living in another country must still file and pay taxes in the US for as long as they remain a US citizen.
There is no equivalency between this and the actions of Eritrea.
Sincerely,
Pierre Poilievre, P.C., M.P. Nepean-Carleton
We need to focus on the FBAR penalties and exposing that to light. It seems as though we’re focused too much on the “filing taxes” part of it and not enough on the draconian penalties for “not filing a piece of paper” to the media here.
I think that what is overlooked is the reality that compliance is not merely the filing of the tax related paperwork but also equally important are the restrictions on the individual’s economic and investment activity. Which if you religiously adhere to will result only in poverty.
C.B.T. must be fought at its foundations and not by trimming its branches. The idea that every American no matter where located must be prevented from sleeping on the park bench is a misplaced allegory. What would America do to sell itself to potential immigrants if it couldn’t offer them the opportunity to sleep on the mythical park bench that they are denied in their country of residence?
Swedish newspapers are reporting that Sweden has ordered an Eritrean diplomat to leave the country within 48 hours. The Swedish government is not giving a reason but the Aftonbladet speculates that this may be due to the embassy’s role in the forced taxation of Eritreans in Sweden and/or spying on Eritreans in Sweden by the embassy. Software translation of Aftonbladet article follows:
“Sweden has ordered the first secretary of the dictatorship Eritrean embassy to leave the country, according to TT news agency.
The diplomat had 48 hours to leave the country.
– I can confirm that a foreign diplomat has been asked to leave the country, but I can not go into the reason why, says the Ministry’s Communications Charlotta Ozaki Macías said.
UD also has a policy not to say which country expelled a diplomat comes from.
“The reason is unclear”
According to TT news agency, on the other hand, several independent sources confirming that the case of the Eritrean first secretary.
– It has been a long time coming to an Eritrean diplomat would be expelled, says a source with the promise of anonymity.
The diplomats expelled hear not usual.
It is not clear what the reason for the expulsion is. Diplomats can not be held accountable for crimes, however, declared persona non grata, undesirable, and deported.
“Forced to surtax”
Many Swedish-Eritreans testify about how the embassy pushes them to pay a special tax exile of two percent of income – otherwise they may not identification documents, their relatives in the home country gets into trouble, they claim.
The embassy also blamed periodically to spy on Swedish-Eritreans who are critical of the very strict dictatorship in Sweden perhaps most famous for the arrest of Swedish-Eritrean journalist Dawit Isaak.”
http://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/article19481638.ab