I celebrated New Year’s this year at a residence I rented in Maine, not too far from where I was born. My “pure Canadian” wife and I were joined by our two daughters and their husbands, as well as other family members including my mother who continues to live on Campobello Island where I grew up. The reason for the celebration in Maine was that my older daughter, who now lives in Texas and is married to a Texan, has applied for a green card and could not leave the US. She and her husband had originally intended to come to Nova Scotia and spend Christmas with us, but when her green card did not get issued in time, we had to settle on “Plan B”, which allowed her to spend some time with her grandmother and other family members.
When I opened my Christmas gift from my Texas daughter and her husband, it was a T-shirt with a depiction on the front of a star above a cannon and the words “COME AND TAKE IT”. My son-in-law, who is from Cuero, explained that the shirt was from the neighbouring town of Gonzales. He explained that back in the 1800’s, Mexican authorities had given the people of Gonzales a cannon to help protect themselves from frequent Comanche raids. Over the next few years, the political situation in Mexico deteriorated and several states revolted. The Mexican commander thought it unwise to leave the cannon with the residents of Gonzales and asked them to return the cannon. The residents’ reply was a defiant “COME AND TAKE IT”. The Battle of Gonzales was the first military engagement of the Texas Revolution.
As I often rant about the US government as a result of FATCA, the slogan made my daughter and son-in-law think of me. This slogan basically sums up my position with regards to FATCA. Regarding my paltry life’s savings, my message to Barack Obama, his henchmen in the US government and his minions in the Canadian government, is “COME AND TAKE IT”! Instead of a star above a cannon, my flag has a maple leaf above a piggy bank. I have no intention of giving Barack Obama, Charlie Rangel, Timothy Geithner, Hilary Clinton, or anyone else in that crime syndicate known as the US government one cent of my hard earned money without a fight. The opening salvo in that fight starts with the ADCS Charter challenge.
According to Wikipedia, “Under President Antonio López de Santa Anna, the Mexican government began to shift away from a federalist model. The increasingly dictatorial policies, including the revocation of the Constitution of 1824 in early 1835, incited many federalists to revolt. The border region of Mexican Texas was largely populated by immigrants from the United States. These were accustomed to a federalist government and to extensive individual rights, and they were quite vocal in their displeasure at Mexico’s shift towards centralism.” In relation to the cannon, Wikipedia says, “The cannon’s fate is disputed. It may have been buried and rediscovered in 1936, or it may have been seized by Mexican troops after the Battle of the Alamo”.
Regarding the Alamo, Wikipedia says, “The Battle of the Alamo (February 23 – March 6, 1836) was a pivotal event in the Texas Revolution. Following a 13-day siege, Mexican troops under PresidentGeneral Antonio López de Santa Anna launched an assault on the Alamo Mission near San Antonio de Béxar (modern-day San Antonio, Texas, United States), killing all of the Texian defenders. Santa Anna’s cruelty during the battle inspired many Texians—both Texas settlers and adventurers from the United States—to join the Texian Army. Buoyed by a desire for revenge, the Texians defeated the Mexican Army at the Battle of San Jacinto, on April 21, 1836, ending the revolution.”
As I get older, I wish I had spent more of my life studying history. Someone said, “Those who fail to learn from history are destined to repeat it.” Though I have just scratched the surface in learning about the Texas Revolution, it was amazing how it seemed to describe what we are facing. The US government (both parties), in shifting from a federalist model, becoming increasingly dictatorial, ignoring the Constitution and removing individual rights are stoking the fires of revolt. There is a reason Donald Trump is so popular, and the unrest in the US is palpable as Obama continues to act as a monarch. I expect his next executive order will be to repeal the Magna Carta!
The Battle of Gonzales had little military significance, but it marked a clear break between the colonists and the dictatorial government and is considered to have been the start of the Texas Revolution. In the Battle of the Alamo, the vastly outgunned and outnumbered colonists eventually succumbed to the government firepower, but the cruelty of the government got the attention of and stoked the anger of the larger population. Once the slumbering masses were awakened to the cruelty of the government, the fight was over and the government lost. I have heard it said of our fight that we are in a marathon, not a sprint. I would like to add that we may have lost a battle, but we will win the war.
Any good “revolution” against oppressive dictators requires brave leadership. I am so thankful for (alphabetically) Gwen Deegan, Peter Dunn, Ginny Hillis, Stephen Kish, Tricia Moon, John Richardson, Lynne Swanson and Carol Tapanila (and others – please forgive me if I have overlooked you). Others, whose real names I do not know, are involved in other ways, for example supporting the Charter challenge or regularly commenting on news articles, changing hearts and minds one at a time. I am especially thankful for Ginny and Gwen, the public faces of our ragtag group of women and men. They are more concerned about the plights of people like me than they are about their own comfort and security. It is in large part from following their brave example, that I defiantly tell Obama that if he wants to plunder my totally Canadian earned life’s savings, “COME AND TAKE IT”!
@Embee
That does not make you a bad person:
“If a law is unjust, a man is not only right to disobey it, he is obligated to do so.” Thomas Jefferson
“One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.” Martin Luther King, Jr.
@Canadian Ginny
Thanks again! I am really looking forward to 2016 in so many ways. With grandchildren on the way and retirement just over a year away, I have a lot to be excited about! I think what is so daunting is having family in Texas with this sword of Damocles hanging over my head. I am happy to accept your “unsolicited” words of wisdom anytime. And I am going to take your guarantee regarding the joys of being a grandparent to the bank (figuratively) – literally, that is probably the last place I would take anything of value!
@Bubblebustin
As George has stated, we are all part of this and each of us is at a different place in the “spectrum”. Ginny and Gwen are the brave ones. A friend of mine says, “Never corner a coward.” His point is, just because a person is a coward, that does not mean the person is not a capable fighter so you should always leave him an escape route. This “coward” has been searching for years for an escape route, but there is none. If they do try to “come and take it”, they will be dealing with a “cornered coward” who has no means of escape and is a capable fighter. In the meantime, I will continue to try to stay under the radar and search for that elusive escape route, which will hopefully open as a result of the Charter challenge.
@Native Canadian
I cannot say anything that would compare to what Canadian Ginny just said!
@all
like a great singer once said “Somebody has to do something, and it’s just incredibly pathetic that it has to be us.”
―Jerry Garcia
i relish the day that an IRS bounty hunter shows up at my door looking for me.
i live in CANADA, am a CANADIAN and have broken no CANADIAN law so bring it on uncle sam.
gwen and ginny you 2 are the hero’s in this fight and we are all doing our little part to ensure victory.
keep up the fight.
At the battle of Thermopylae in 480 B.C. the ancient Spartan Greeks blocked the pass, stopping the massive invasion of Greece by the Persians. They were only 300 against thousands. The Persians sent a message: “Surrender your arms and we will let you live.” The Spartan response was: “Molon Labia” which means “Come and take “. A similar story to the Mexican cannon. This now a rallying cry for the gun owners in the U.S.. In response to the U.S. government’s repressive and immoral tax laws we say “Molon Labia” – “Come and take”
@ Canadian Cop
Well you have won the lottery! Two grandbabies and retirement? Perfect timing.
@Henry
I learn so much here every day. Loved your info about the battle of Thermopylae! This place is an amazing source of information about so many things. Again, all thanks to Petros ( Peter) for providing this platform.
@mettleman
Nice to meet you. I like your choice in musicians.
One slight correction, if I may: Gwen and I are not heroes. We’re just doing what needs to be done because we both can, with a lot of great help from wonderful people. It still boggles my mind that we have supporters from around the world. That is the most incredible thing to me which I didn’t anticipate when I set out to do this. I know that posters and donors have very legitimate reasons for keeping their names private, but I would really enjoy if people would feel comfortable to disclose where they live. A lot have. Some ( most?) days, when I need to put this nightmare behind me for an hour or so, I fantasize that I am travelling around the world and meeting you in your local cafe and having a wonderful conversation about anything but FATCA, over a coffee, or glass of wine and getting to know YOU better. I am pretty well an open book. I enjoy the collective wisdom of many of the posters here.
Yes I could bore you with the legal niceties and complexities of our law suit. And I love talking about law. Ask any of my former law students or my long suffering husband. But the experience of being involved in this law suit has expanded my horizons in ways I can’t explain except to attribute it to the people I am meeting sight unseen along the way. That is an undeserved gift I have been given and will always treasure. And I wish every lawyer could be as fortunate as I have been during this amazing experience. They don’t teach this in Law 101.
To *all* the rebels who write here, who take action behind the scenes, who take up “arms” in our front-lines or cower (like me) in anonymity, wherever you are, in or out of the “system”, thank you for everything you say, do and are! Great post, Canadian Cop!
Rebels in and out of the system: SURGITE!!!
My adult daughter has just bought a ticket for tonight’s EuroMillions. When she wins that £45 million she plans to tell the IRS, should they ask: “Come and get me, copper” and live happily ever after with all the money,
Thank you for your post Canadian Cop, and for the comments from all the usual suspects. May God bless you, one and all. ” Come and get me coppers” has been my motto for quite some time (thanks Andy 05). I admire everyone’s effort to point out how wrong all this has been, but so far the adversary has showed little concern for morality or legality. One has to keep in mind that these are the same people who are willing to give material support to terrorists, and risk another world war, in order to overthrow a government that has never even threatened them. And if the Homelanders can’t come to grips with that, why should we expect them to grasp what is happening to us. I found I had to draw a line in the sand some time ago. I may not win my war, but I can make sure they are left with a Phyrric victory. I made an oath to myself that they will pay $2 for every $1 they squeeze out of me, and I feel confident that win lose or draw, I can make that happen. What if everyone decided to “just say no”? How long will other countries tolerate gangs of foreign agents and lawyers wondering about and tying up the court systems with their spurious claims? How long will they chase us if they know it’s a money losing proposition? I will fight them tooth and nail in the local courts. But sadly, after seeing the results from the lawsuits so far, it seems evident that in order to win, one must have already sustained sufficient damage instead of just trying to prevent it. So that’s the down side. It would seem that any victory will not come without casualties, so I’m putting my hand up for that….Come and get me coppers!
@andy05 @ProudAussie
As Obama empties Guantanamo of those who can only be described as bloodthirsty, murderous terrorists so they can get back to wreaking havoc, and emptying US jails of true criminals (after all, it is the guns that are the issue, not the people pulling the trigger), the sad part is that you and I are the the problems according to this administration. Every time I read about civil forfeiture as applied in the US, I rack my brain trying to understand how any police officer (or prosecutor) can stoop to committing theft just because some ill-conceived (or ill-applied) law says they can. In Obama’s America, the only ones going to gaol are Kim Davis, Dinesh D’Souza, Christian bakers and YouTube filmmakers. Though it may seem strange coming from a “copper”, under these circumstances I think anyone is well justified in saying, “Come and get me, copper.” The US Department of Justice under Eric Holder had absolutely NOTHING to do with justice and I do not expect things will be much better under Loretta Lynch (how things turn out with Hillary Clinton will provide some insight). Every time I think of the US government, I am reminded of Ephesians 6:12 (KJV) “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” I cannot imagine any human being with even a smidgen of “love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” continuing to impose laws like FATCA on the type of people I see contributing to this website, who are some of the most kind and charitable people that I have not yet met – but hope to some day at our celebration!
I am in an area where seeing another US person is rare. Yesterday, I happened to run into one– and didn’t it have to be one of those who rants about Obamacare, gun control, & likely would vote for Trump!
One thing though- Mr. Smartypants knew NOTHING about FATCA. He’s been working here for 25 years, has sold houses for profit, has a retirement investment—> all those things, I told him, are taxable to his dear gov’t. Then, I told him about FBAR & the penalties imposed…and he looked a little ashen. He said he was going to “look into it”. I wonder how deflated he’ll look next I see him?
Good grief…I feel like NO ONE else except the people at IB know about FATCA!
There are obviously a lot of Mr, Mrs and Ms USC Smartypants living and working in countries abroad. Hope that you are in contact with him again after he does some research on what he has learned from you, Jane.
@Jane
Well if MSP didn’t already hate Obama before hearing about FATCA, he will now!
@CanadianCop
You write:
The answer is that Obama and the Democrats would justify their behavior from Ephesians 6:5 (in the same way that the Slave Owners justified an earlier form of U.S. slavery) as follows:
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians+6%3A5&version=ESV
@CanadianCop
When it comes to Eric Holder, there is a difference between “due process” and “judicial process”. In explaining how the Obama administration justifies killing American citizens he explains:
http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/03/due-process-vs-judicial-process/254123/
What this means is that if the U.S. Government thinks about killing people BEFORE they actually kill them, then the due process requirement has been met. Only completely accidental killings (like perhaps the recent doctors without borders hospital) lack due process.
@Jane
With respect to Mr. Smarty Pants:
He won’t be damaged by this because he is making no attempt to be U.S. tax compliant. As he researches he will learn enough (now that others have done the heavy lifting) so that he likely will not attempt full compliance. What is clear is that, the horror stories are all about people who attempt to live their lives in compliance with U.S. laws.
I have heard that there are those who consider the posters on this site to be somehow anti-American,un-American or subversive. The truth is that the posters on this site are included in the minority of Americans abroad who have attempted compliance with these U.S. laws. And for their attempted compliance, their lives have been destroyed. Ironic isn’t it?
I guess what’s “due” is subjective.
The FATCA lawsuit claims that Americans are being denied the Fifth Amendment right of due process. I’d like to send Mr Holder a case of this from Americans abroad:
http://constitutiontp.com/
@USCitizenAbroad;
Not only would I agree with your statement above; “…I have heard that there are those who consider the posters on this site to be somehow anti-American,un-American or subversive. The truth is that the posters on this site are included in the minority of Americans abroad who have attempted compliance with these U.S. laws. And for their attempted compliance, their lives have been destroyed. Ironic isn’t it?..”
I would add that what should strike those who consider our remarks “anti-American,un-American or subversive” should consider what ACTUALLY happened to those who attempted “compliance” in the MANNER PRESCRIBED experienced the most damage – for example those who heeded the IRS commands issued by IRS Commissioner Shulman ad nauseam (ex. statements at the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants National Conference, Oct. 26, 2009 http://www.taxlitigator.com/main/images/stories/Last.pdf http://www.taxlitigator.com/main/images/stories/Last.pdf ) and repeated by Treasury Secretary Timmy Turbo-Tax Cheat Geithner http://www.marketwatch.com/story/new-geithner-disclosures-further-cloud-his-record-2012-07-26 ( http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/03/03/geithner-touts-tackling-tax-evaders-failing-pay-taxes.html despite the deal he enjoyed while owing 34,000. in US taxes over a period of several years with several types of tax and reporting failures http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2009/01/obama-geithner.html http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=99681725 – one not given to ordinary US taxpayers despite this proposal https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/111/hr4172/text ) to enter the OVD programs as the only acceptable path to compliance. Willfully unqualified commands issued without any caveats or useful and relevant information as to how that should apply to those who owed the US nothing, those who had already effectively renounced years and decades before, those who reasonably considered that their local, legal, and LOCALLY tax compliant accounts were NOT ‘foreign’ ‘offshore’ ‘hidden’ ‘tax evading’ funds belonging to ‘criminals’, those who were minors or deemed legally incompetent, those who merely were not born with a US IRS “property of the USA” tattoo http://isaacbrocksociety.ca/2012/06/30/the-property-of-the-usa-tattoo/ , etc.
The deliberately scary warnings issued repeatedly against ‘quiet’ submissions, and of compliance going forward, though completely legal avenues, the abuse of people in the 2009 OVDI program (ex. the infamous FAQ 35 bait-and-switch flagged by the Taxpayer Advocate https://renounceuscitizenship.wordpress.com/2012/01/09/taxpayer-advocate-vs-the-irs-its-a-question-of-trust/ and which made even the Canadian media ex. http://www.thestar.com/business/2012/01/11/irs_watchdog_accuses_agency_of_baitandswitch.html ), the delay in any useful clarification https://renounceuscitizenship.wordpress.com/2011/12/18/update-on-the-irs-fs-for-u-s-citizens-and-dual-citizens-living-outside-the-united-states-no-additional-relief-for-canadians/ is very certainly an attempt to shake down people for penalty revenues which far exceed the zero or little US tax actually assessable ( http://www.taxpayeradvocate.irs.gov/userfiles/file/2013FullReport/OFFSHORE-VOLUNTARY-DISCLOSURE-The-IRS-Offshore-Voluntary-Disclosure-Program-Disproportionately-Burdens-Those-Who-Make-Honest-Mistakes.pdf , http://www.taxanalysts.com/www/features.nsf/Features/8E6965DFA3441ADF85257BAA0048E526?OpenDocument ).
I would ask what was praiseworthy and defensible and laudably AMERICAN about the unnecessary and CRIMINALLY unjustifiable treatment and ordeals foisted on ordinary people living their lawful locally compliant lives outside the US and the maltreatment of new immigrants to the US with pre-existing legal local accounts, as obvious in the outcomes of the 2004 creation of a NON-willful penalty for not filing FBARs which very few even knew existed (including many US tax and accounting ‘professionals’), the deliberately disingenuous and willfully false characterizations and conduct of the ‘offshore voluntary’ campaigns, the ongoing FATCA propaganda ala the Mythster Stack (ex. http://tax-expatriation.com/2014/01/22/how-much-myth-versus-reality-is-in-the-treasurys-claim-myth-vs-fatca-the-truth-about-treasurys-effort-to-combat-offshore-tax-evasion/ http://americansabroad.org/files/2713/8185/8145/Stack_letter_no_testimonials.pdf http://maplesandbox.ca/2013/fatca-faces-tell-the-real-story/ etc. ).
Add to that the complexity of attempting US compliance from ‘abroad’ and the myopic and distorted worldview of the IRS ( ex. http://tax-expatriation.com/2015/11/02/why-most-u-s-citizens-residing-overseas-havent-a-clue-about-the-labyrinth-of-u-s-taxation-and-bank-and-financial-reporting-of-worldwide-income-and-assets/ http://tax-expatriation.com/2015/12/28/irs-creates-international-practice-units-for-their-irs-revenue-agents-in-international-tax-matters/ ).
Those who think that we are un-American and ‘subversive’ only say so because we’re not big US corporations and mega-wealthy with the dedicated funds to pay ex-IRS personnel and others as lobbyists with direct access to US lawmakers http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/25/business/economy/25tax.html?_r=0 http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/30/business/economy/for-the-wealthiest-private-tax-system-saves-them-billions.html and to use the existing loopholes to benefit from real OFFSHORE trusts like these http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2013-05-20/pritzker-yields-party-role-reversal-on-offshore-trusts and who are then rewarded by being named US Commerce Secretary (Pritzker) and US Treasury Secretary (Jacob Lew).
Those who might call us subversive, un-American, and anti-American can’t stand listening to the truth.
@USCitizenAbroad
Sadly, based on the evidence available, I believe you are right about Ephesians 6:5. So much for that stuff about government “of the people, by the people for the people.” Instead of just looking for the verse that keeps running through my mind, I guess I should have read the whole chapter!
Regarding “due process” vs “judicial process”, we are definitely living in precarious times. Governments now are more concerned with passing legislation that supports their agendas than what is lawful and ethical. Government lawyers are employed, not to help draft legislation that is lawful and ethical, but to try to insulate legislation that is unlawful and unethical from any legal challenges. The good thing is, it seems the public is starting to wake up and are fed up (at least in the US).
@Bubblebustin
That is hilarious! Hopefully Native Canadian has seen it or will see it – he has plans for a Canadian version. I laughed at A Note From The Creator of Constitution TP, “something I think every American should experience once, so that they know what it feels like to be a member of Congress.”
@Badger
Well, your comment is one for the ages – definitely one for the ages. It needs to be it’s own post (and I think I will put it up in a few moments).
The IRS is actually the least complicit in the abuse of Americans abroad. The real criminals are the media (“Calling all tax cheats abroad” and the lawyers and accountants who call themselves tax professionals “Of course you should enter the Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program”.) The tax professionals are “bounty hunters” and the IRS will take what they can get. In fairness to the IRS, they did come out with the “Streamlined Program” which is an improvement. Without that the “Form People” would still be urging people to turn over their life savings to the IRS. But, of course the biggest criminals of all are the members of the U.S. Congress who have consistently made things worse and worse.
My guess is that by observing how the lives of those who attempted U.S. tax compliance have been destroyed, fewer and fewer people will attempt compliance. But, who knows.
What people don’t initially understand is that U.S. “Place of birth taxation” is NOT about tax. It’s about life control. So, to enter the U.S. tax system is to agree that you will live life under supervision and in the penalty box. The dirty truth is that U.S. citizens have fewer rights and privileges than the citizens of most other countries. Homelanders would scoff at this. But, let them try to live as a “U.S. Tax Compliant Citizen Abroad”.
Who is a somebody who is accused of being an American abroad supposed to trust? Probably nobody.
Don’t get me wrong. I don’t like the IRS (does anybody?). But, I think the blame for this should be placed primarily on the media and tax people.
Remember: U.S. tax law is NOT enforced by the IRS. It’s enforced by the tax people.
“The biggest crimes of all though are those committed against people who were not even born in the United States. This is simply unbelievable. Imagine being told that a foreign country can dictate the terms of your life because your parent(s) were (I can just see Bruce singing): “Born In The USA”.
@USCitizenAbroad, the tax compliance industrial complex parrot the statements issued by the IRS/US Treasury. Yet again we see the IRS continue to issue threats and warnings http://taxcontroversywatch.com/category/streamlined-filing-compliance-procedures/ and invest in enforcement rather than invest in taxpayer services and making compliance simpler, as the Taxpayer Advocate has repeatedly advised them to do, most recently this month;
http://www.taxpayeradvocate.irs.gov/Media/Default/Documents/2016-JRC/Area_of_Focus_4_Implementation_of_FATCA.pdf
http://www.taxpayeradvocate.irs.gov/reports/fy-2016-objectives-report-to-congress/full-report
The IRS uses the media and the compliance industrial complex to spread the fear and herd people to them.
The IRS refuses to provide the simplicity and clarity and information and services that would have created a counter to the compliancers – and even make them less necessary. IF that is REALLY what the IRS and Treasury wanted.
The IRS was STILL issuing the ‘scary letter’ (as several IRS personnel including an OVDI manager called it) to those ‘low risk’ minnows opting out of the OVDI and into the Streamlined program. In 2013 it was still the very same list of horrors dated and issued in 2011 and had not been revised to reflect the fact that the OVDI was not appropriate for minnows abroad – which the Streamlined was supposed to be an acknowledgement of.
If the IRS was not complicit in the destruction of the lives of minnows abroad, then why continue to issue what they themselves called the ‘scary letter’? I will see if I can did up a copy online and post it here so everyone can see what they subjected minnows to – even when they acknowledged that the case was not one for the OVDI and did not consider one “high risk” or wilful..
@Badger
You are quite correct. I agree completely and do see IRS conduct in the context of OVDI/OVDP as a huge huge problem and a huge huge betrayal of Americans abroad. No question about it. I just believe that the media and “Form People” were worse.
“Media” – Unbelievably irresponsible and ignorant reporting. Describing people as “tax cheats” and otherwise fanning the flames of fear.
“Form People” – In general (there are specific exceptions) they made NO EFFORT to contextualize the statements by the IRS. Example: No “quiet disclosures” without trying to explain what a “quiet disclosure” even was. In addition, precious few of these people even considered these issues in terms of “reasonable cause”.
Here is a post from January of 2012 (that includes much of the history) on this problem:
“The taxpayer, the IRS and the professionals – where to go from here”
https://renounceuscitizenship.wordpress.com/2012/01/05/the-taxpayer-the-irs-and-the-professionals-where-to-go-from-here/
It includes (without even considering the role of the media):
Let me put it this way. The IRS came to Canada and poured gasoline all over the ground. The “Form People” and “Media” threw matches on the ground and torched those Canadians who were willing to become U.S. tax compliant.
If you read the comments you will see some familiar people (some of which are “Form People” and some of which are not).
Also, (in specific response to your comment), the December 2011 FS was a clear statement from the IRS (yes they could have done a better job) that OVDI/OVDP was neither intended for nor appropriate for Americans abroad. Yet the “Form People” ignored it.
See:
https://renounceuscitizenship.wordpress.com/2011/12/18/update-on-the-irs-fs-for-u-s-citizens-and-dual-citizens-living-outside-the-united-states-no-additional-relief-for-canadians/
“Detroit looked for the helpers on that dark but fiery day and we were there for them without equivocation or passports or compensation for the many days of support our firefighters donated.”
Are those firefighters barred from entry to the US now, or did the US issue them Waivers of Ineligibility after they worked illegally in that country?
“As Obama empties Guantanamo of those who can only be described as bloodthirsty, murderous terrorists so they can get back to wreaking havoc”
Canadian Cop, 90% of those people are innocent, just like us.
@USCItizenAbroad, re; “..the December 2011 FS was a clear statement from the IRS (yes they could have done a better job) that OVDI/OVDP was neither intended for nor appropriate for Americans abroad. Yet the “Form People” ignored it…”
The IRS also refused AND refuses still to clarify what constituted “reasonable cause” and non-willful vs. willful. Sowing additional confusion and fear because no-one could know where they would fall in relation to those categories, and the compliancers couldn’t/wouldn’t be certain either.
Of course many compliancers were at root really protecting themselves, and also milking their clients for every last dime – for example, one import to Canada that I am familiar with was charging the same disproportionate retainer up front and the same fee per year of backfiling regardless of minnow status and regardless that some years did not require the same reporting forms – and the final result was riddled with significant errors, the client had to revise and then submit their own FBAR directly to Fincen in order to get the corrected one there to meet the deadline.The fees were padded to include charges at the top lawyer’s rate for emails linking to their own online and publicly available blog posts, and their ‘expert’ assistance with a reasonable cause statement was merely for a junior lawyer to send the client a one size fits all template with fill in the blanks – without any guidance, advice or feedback. The blanks and any revisions were up to the client – with no guidance provided – except a blanket warning statement reminder that it was submitted to the IRS under penalty of perjury. They also charged to redo the completed statement from the nondescript text-based form to a fancy coloured one with their logo on top – no change to content, no advice to client as to the content, etc.