This seems to be a class action suit, based in Delaware, against FATCA.
http://armstrongeconomics.com/2014/12/16/class-action-lawsuit-forming-against-fatca/
Martin Armstrong may be brilliant. He also spent seven years in prison for contempt of court relating to security fraud charges, only released in 2011. Delaware of course is a notorious tax haven. Do we want to approach him, be associated with him? Maybe, maybe not. Such an association could confirm our enemies in their opinion that we are tax evaders.
OR…is he just forwarding contacts to the lawsuit already underway in DC?
Embarrassing enough to hang out with Republicans, in my opinion.
Mr Armstrong seems to be forwarding peoples’ emails to the lawyer or firm filing the lawsuit…. the info all over the web is the same info from the same source… nothing new… so I am figuring he is trying to churn up support… to either start a suit or he is tagging onto the Republican’s suit
@Islander
I rather hang with the Republicans then the Democrats who seem to think this problem is a minor issue… that if we stick our fingers in our ears… singing la-la…. that it will go away…
Martin Armstrong is a genius and was prosecuted/persecuted using trumped-up charges for securities violations while he was living in Japan. Why persecuted? His “Economic Confidence Model” (ECM) computer program not only put the U.S. government to shame regarding prediction models of the economy/society, but they wanted his program, which he refused to give to them. They wanted it really, really bad. The ECM projects a severe economic/social collapse starting about October, 2015. He made this call in 1985. I say give him the benefit of the doubt in this case.
Not clear to me how FATCA has harmed me. They took my money using PFIC and FBAR. I have the extra form burden and of course account disclosure sent me to their arms.
@Islander,
Democrates sound all kind of lovely but their ideas can’t work without force. The rich paying their fair share sounds good until you realize your defined as rich. Obama wants massive wealth redistribution. They cooked up the OVDP to take a lot of money from people they though had it. Come Apr 15th a huge numbers of Americans are going to see that free healthcare isn’t free as they try to wriggle out of their shared responsibility charge.
@Neill
I thought the US healthcare system was the same as in Canada… I took a look… geez… can they make it more confusing for everyone… Complicated rules… I also read that some pick a plan & don’t pay… its a choice between paying the fine or paying the premium… fine is cheaper… cause they can still afford food that way
Most lawyers have studied grammar. Whoever wrote that webpage has not.
The anti-FATCA lawsuit worth funding now is the Canadian claim advanced by Alliance for Defense of Canadian Sovereignty (ADCS). Here’s why:
– This is the only actual statement of claim against a FATCA IGA in the world. It has been duly filed in a Canadian Federal Court by expert counsel. It will advance.
– ADCS have retained Canada’s top Constitutional litigator and the resources of a major law firm.
– the Directors of ADCS are totally transparent; they are publicly known, and collectively have made numerous public statements and appearances in the press, on broadcast television, at public meetings, and in front of the Finance Committee. ADCS is also a properly incorporated non-profit corporation.
– the plaintiffs are publicly known and represent the most egregious examples of being harmed by FATCA due to incidental US birthplace.
– the suit has already been funded donations of almost $250K. So future donations are building on a foundation of strength.
– the ADCS suit is already being followed by the media, and we can expect a surge of publicity as the case moves forward.
– Canada is the battleground state for the very concept of FATCA IGA’s. That is because of the vast number of Canadians who will be harmed by FATCA. Also, Canada is probably the world’s leader in so-called “illicit undeclared offshore accounts held by US-persons” – as defined by FATCA. Expect far more blowback, anger and awareness as Canadian banks and financial institutions roll out their FATCA programs.
– The success of the Canadian lawsuit against FATCA will enhance the credibility and possibility of success of the Bopp suit in the US.
– Finally, the US Republicans have access to Political Action Committee funding that Canadians can only dream of. So suggest that Canadian dollars focus on Canada’s homefront, to win in a Canadian court. Funding the entire Canadian AND US anti-FATCA suits is a rounding error for the Koch brothers’ various political action committees – if anyone has their contact info, maybe reach out to make the ask 🙂
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_activities_of_the_Koch_brothers
The timing is fortuitous as factors align in a perfect storm: Canadian lawsuit in Vancouver Federal Court + Harper Cons launch “do-or-die” election bid + Republican majority takes over Congress + increasing anger in Canada over “Buy American” laws + IRS hobbled with significant budget cuts (at the same time they must start to actively process and reciprocate FOR THE FIRST TIME with the rest of world’s FATCA input – much of which will likely be garbage data).
The warning: lawsuits move in slow motion – there are bursts of dramatic activity with months of waiting in-between. It is not like a labor strike, election or similar dramatic public action. A high court can take many months to issue a decision.
@ Wondering
I hope ADCS will make use of your fine comment somehow. Well done!
@Wondering puts it very well. Lest there be any misunderstanding on this, let me say that I never contemplated that Canadian funds would go to support a US lawsuit. We have our own fight here.
@Northern Shrike
Never thought u meant that… u were just passing info that u found… I find that this has become big part of my life… to try to find a lifeline or a solution that will not wipe me out… Republicans talk a good talk… but have not heard anything else… never thought that I would understand all this… I still don’t… but everyone on this web site has increased my education to understand better… which I am forever thankful & grateful for
Pingback: The Canadian anti #FATCA lawsuit launched by ADCS-ADSC.ca is the lawsuit worth funding | Alliance for the Defence of Canadian Sovereignty
Is this lawsuit aimed at drumming up interest in resident Americans? He only refers to business accounts.
@Yankee Refugee
That’s very intriguing. He must not have any love lost for the Justice Department.
I hope that Jim Bopp and the RO take some positive action as soon as possible after the Jan change in Congress. So far, just silence….
Here’s an interesting chat between Jim Goddard and Martin Armstrong about Obama’s stealth plan to regulate the content of the internet under the the guise of the sweet sounding “net neutrality” meme. Towards the end Martin brings up FATCA. Comments are open.
http://talkdigitalnetwork.com/2014/11/outrage-obama-wants-to-regulate-internet/
@ Wondering
John Richardson has offered you thanks for your comment on behalf of ADCS and Blaze has featured it at Maple Sandbox.
https://adcsovereignty.wordpress.com/
http://maplesandbox.ca/2014/heres-why-canadian-anti-fatca-lawsuit-the-one-to-support/comment-page-1/#comment-279702
@EmBee
Thanks! The ADCS lawsuit is the best chance to shine a light on this.
I am convinced that as this suit advances, there will be a groundswell of support as the untold hundreds of thousands of Canadians affected by FATCA come to realize what is at stake.
There’s a small typo in my comment – if anyone with admin access could fix… dropped a few words in haste… had meant to write: “Canada is the battleground state for the very concept of FATCA IGA’s….”
@Northern Strike, “Lest there be any misunderstanding on this, let me say that I never contemplated that Canadian funds would go to support a US lawsuit. We have our own fight here.”
Respectfully I have to take issue with you.
There are right now British Funds supporting the Canadian lawsuit.
There are right now Irish Funds supporting the Canadian Lawsuit.
There are right now French funds supporting the Canadian Lawsuit.
Personally, I believe that the Canadian Lawsuit represents the “best value” and wisest use of funds to challenge FATCA irrespective of where you are from. But that does not take away from the fact that a lawsuit in the USA may actually compliment the effort in Canada.
Finally in regards to this class action lawsuit, unless more detail comes out I remain a skeptic.
ADCS is the platinum plan lawsuit to use the language under Obamacare.
@bubblebustin
It would appear that the Delaware lawsuit is primarily by and for U.S. persons resident in the U.S.A. who have had problems with FATCA re: their foreign bank accounts or businesses. Martin Armstrong (who organizes economic conferences) has had his U.S. bank refuse foreign wire transfers to pay for attendance at his conferences because of the U.S. laws on ‘financial crime and money laundering’, which in some ways FATCA is a part of now.
Really, folks? Another FATCA lawsuit? Is no one interested in challenging the root of the problem, CBT? I finally got one constitutional lawyer interested, here in DC.
@George – we are so grateful for the donations coming from all around the world. I think that Northern Shrike just meant that your donations to ADCS would not go toward a different lawsuit and did not mean that it is all “Canadian funds” going to this legal challenge.
My own experience with lawyers are there are those who ”have been caught”, ”those who will be caught” and those who by luck or intelligent evasion, avoid being caught. There are, in my estimation, none who are so clean that if attention was focused on them, they wouldn’t be caught. The caught ones will get smarter, and should be hired to represent us, against the IRS, BEFORE THEY ARE CAUGHT AGAIN.
The problem is to find a person with standing, who is willing to be the defendant, who can win a suit and if the gov’t appeals, let it go to the next higher court so that when the higher court hears it, the decision will be ”case law” and can be referenced in every future case as ”settled law”.
@ Shadow Raider
Challenging CBT? Now we’re talking REAL turkey. That’s what I want to see in the USA — not the DA’s attitude that it can’t be done and they’ll settle for a sort of “safe harbor” to try to simmer down the FATCA rage in the overseas Dem voters. Meanwhile in Canada, the only thing we can challenge is the implementation of the FATCA IGA and hopefully in the process of doing that we will get our government to start rethinking its SOP of capitulation to all American diktats.
@George You are absolutely right. Strictly speaking, I can stand by my statement that all Canadian funds should go to the Canadian fight, but I ought to have acknowledged the important support coming from other countries. All of us in Canada are very grateful for that support.
@NorthernShrike, Embee,
The mandate of ADCS, as stated in our Articles of Incorporation, is intentionally broad: “to defend Canadian sovereignty and protect all persons in Canada from the attempts of other countries to impose their “extra-territorial legislation” on Canada. This includes, but is not limited to, defending Canadian sovereignty against the governments of foreign countries and from the Canadian government.”
The activities of ADCS are therefore not limited to pursuing a FATCA IGA lawsuit. However, that is our immediate priority and the funds we are receiving through our regular donations can only be used to pay the costs for the FATCA IGA lawsuit.
We have also received a small amount of money, as a special, separate donation, to retain Jim Butera, a Washington DC attorney, to explore approaches to make it easier for US people abroad (including those in Canada) to renounce their U.S. citizenship and associated IRS obligations. No U.S. political party will ever pursue this effort. This activity, aimed at “extra-territorial legislation” imposed by the United States, is supported by all ADCS Board members and is continuing.
We know that some Canadians feel that ADCS should be limited to fighting the Canadian FATCA IGA, but that is not the position of our Board.
@ShadowRaider, I would argue that both FATCA and CBT have to be killed, for different but related reasons. Your finding an attorney who feels that you have a case against CBT is a good start. Our experience tells us that the trick will be to find funds for the litigation. Like Ginny, I continue to be overwhelmed with the support we have received.