WITNESS SEARCH UPDATE FOR CANADIAN FATCA IGA LAWSUIT:
WE STILL SEEK MORE CANADIAN WITNESSES:
Have you experienced marital stress or breakup, or medical or psychiatric illness because Canada turned you and your family over to a foreign country — or because you were afraid and entered into IRS compliance and suffered harm, or because you are in “hiding” and can’t afford to be IRS compliant or to renounce? Be a witness.
No single witness will be “perfect” from a litigation point of view. We will be seeking more witnesses (almost) right up to the time of submission of court documents. Your specific situation, that we cannot predict, might have unique characteristics that would be helpful in the lawsuit.
If you cannot be a witness, please tell a friend who you think might be interested.
— If you are interested in becoming a witness You will describe your harm in a written affidavit which will be made public and you can contact me at stephen.kish.chair@adcs-adsc.ca See our website at www.adcs-adsc-ca
FOR THOSE CANADIANS WHO ALREADY VOLUNTEERED: Unless you have already been informed by me or by our legal team that you will not be a witness, there is still the possibility — or (for some) likelihood — that you will be asked to be a witness. I’m sorry but I cannot estimate the time it will take for our legal team to get back to you with their decision. This is because they need to “mesh” the characteristics of all of the necessary witnesses and testimonies with the actual detailed submission that contains the entirety of their evidence, which are all still evolving. Please be patient in our getting back to you with a decision. Thank you for your help.
Good comment, Middle Finger.
Trudeau and Canada look pretty foolish at the moment. It further confirms that we Canadians, let alone *we US Persons in Canada* have no effective government representation in the MPs elected to put Mr. Sunny Boy at the Canadian helm.
“then again I always have trouble understanding taxes in general because no one really understand the rules, not even the CRA.”
That is correct. In tax guides for non-resident Canadians the former Revenue Canada published an Ottawa phone number and wrote that they accept collect calls. After a few useless letters from them, I did phone collect. The call was equally useless. The Revenue Canada employee looked up the Interpretation Bulletin that I was talking about and spent a few minutes reading it. She said it was intended for institutional investors, but the Intepretation Bulletin itself said no such thing, and the tax guide for non-resident Canadians said no such thing. She did an even worse job of trying to figure out the Interpretation Bulletin than I did. After about half an hour she said she would give up and refer my question to some other department. Of course they still never wrote back after that. I figure the phone call cost Canadian taxpayers around $100 in 1991. I did not repeat it. Eventually I made guesses reported in my previous comment a few days ago.
“As for what the US does with taxation”
Even though that’s what this site is about, that isn’t what the present discussion is about. Someone said that if a Canadian resident invests in US stocks then CRA treats the investment the same way as CRA treats an investment in Canadian stocks. That is false. The impossible-to-interpret Interpretation Bulletin was accompanied by some kind of addendum on one page, emphasizing that the election to put everything on capital account is unavailable for foreign investments.
“When law and morality contradict each other, the citizen has the cruel alternative of either losing his moral sense or losing his respect for the law.” — Frédéric Bastiat, The Law
Ginny and Gwen chose to retain their moral sense by volunteering to be plaintiffs in the ADCS lawsuit and it’s up to the Canadian judicial system to rule in their favour so that they can also retain their respect for the law.
@Calgary
Trudeau’s recent incident makes me think of that Hall and Oates “classic” from the early 80s. Change “girl” to “boy”, and there you have Justin:
Rich Boy
You’re a rich boy, and you’ve gone too far
‘Cause you know it don’t matter anyway
You can rely on the old man’s money
You can rely on the old man’s money
It’s a bitch boy but it’s gone too far
‘Cause you know it don’t matter anyway
Say money but it won’t get you too far
Get you too far
Don’t you know, don’t you know
That it’s wrong to take what is given you
So far gone, on your own
You can get along if you try to be strong
But you’ll never be strong ’cause
You’re a rich boy, and you’ve gone too far
Ad nauseum….
@calgary411
“Trudeau and Canada look pretty foolish at the moment.”
It’s well beyond foolish. What’s at stake here is a “right to end suffering” law (“right to die” is not how it should be worded). Real people are suffering needlessly while these self serving sociopaths have nothing better to do than point fingers at each other and behave like spoiled children. They absolutely don’t care, except perhaps Elizabeth May and a handful of other MPs.
As for Trudeau, maybe he really was frustrated with all the delay tactics and was honestly trying to get the new law passed, but it been pointed out in that the new law clearly leaves many sufferers out in the cold and it will require yet another court case to settle the matter, so in other words, the Libs are not introducing new legislation that will finally put the issue to rest, so why bother with this circus for nothing? They say the issue is “complicated”, sure it is, however several other countries have figured it out, so just borrow their legislation and tweak it a little, this stuff is not all that hard to do, but they are really good at pretending it is hard to justify their useless jobs.
Anyway, I’ve gone way off topic now, it’s just so darn frustrating to see how dysfunctional our government is. Nothing changes, election after election, same old crap repeats.
@BC Doc
Very accurate indeed if you replace “girl” with “boy”. More accurate still if you replace “Justin” with “Rand”. But don’t underestimate me. I’m committed to vote Democrat. But that doesn’t rule out write in candidates. On Tuesday here in WA state I just may support Rand Paul as the write in Democratic candidate.
I recommended that people use interac instead of paypal to make donation. Paypal is a USA company completely under USA law. Interac is a Canadian non profit company made of 300 Canadian financial institute.
Since they do not have deposit I do not think they were under FATCA regulation. Someone may want to confirm. Was there a reason why you never used interac?
“Paypal is a USA company completely under USA law.”
Although PayPal is owned indirectly by a US company, it operates under Japanese law and reports to its parent in Singapore. This is why residents of Japan (including temporary residents such as me) can’t use it to make charitable donations such as to Wikipedia, can’t send money to friends or relatives other than by buying something, and can’t even use it to buy something if the something is a gift to be shipped to a friend or relative.
@ Middle Finger
Agree with what you said about it being a complicated issue but getting the wording correct- to accord with the Carter case -is not difficult. Let’s not forget there are teams of in house legal counsel available collecting their salaries. The other viable option which would take away some political pressure but not glory would be to send the proposed legislation directly to the court as a Reference case.
Doesn’t excuse the PM’s ego performance in the house charging down the aisle. If former PM Harper had done that all hell would break loose.
Sunny days.
Back to the topic at hand……. I personally want to thank all of those persons who have volunteered thus far to be either supplemental witnesses or additional plaintiffs, and who have patiently waited during this long selection process to find out whether or not they have been selected.
The fact that those of you who stepped outside of your comfortable shadows to apply and go through the vetting process has been of immeasurable help and support to me and Gwen. We thank each and everyone of you.
Frankly, it has often been a long and lonely spot for Gwen and me to be in all this time. Whether or not you have been selected, thank you so much for your support in applying.
Cheers to the new friends I have yet to meet. Our team continues to work on this just cause on a daily basis and we could not do it without all the support we have received from so many of you across the nations. As my friend Marley sang: One World.
Here is to why the media will never publish anything regarding fatca…..http://www.infowars.com/top-german-journalist-admits-mainstream-media-is-completely-fake-we-all-lie-for-the-cia/
No where to put this but being on HMS Brock has given me clarity in the upcoming UK Referendum. I am going to vote leave and here is why, it has everything to do with Brock…..
The UK immigration system has become a hybrid because of EU law.
If you are a EU Citizen, you have completely open immigration rights regardless of your skills.
If you are not an EU Citizen, you have limited immigration options even if you are highly skilled. In fact there is a limit on the number of highly skilled migrants, a quota, and that window has already shut for this year!!
So what we have is an immigration system that treats people differently sometimes by place of birth or sometimes by ethnic origin.
A white unskilled worker in Latvia can freely come to the UK whilst a nurse born in Nassau Bahamas will likely be unable to come to the UK.
Just as in the right to have financial accounts must be blind to ethnic origin so should immigration.
Sorry for the odd rant…
#BREXIT The Movie. A must watch for all. Check YouTube and Vimeo for the 1 hr 11 mins movie.
The PEOPLE need to learn to say NO ! we will no longer be abused.
@nervous yes I encourage all to watch brexit the movie. Having watched it I do not see how the EU can do anything to help onfatca
A whole lot there about what we discuss — our own country’s giving away their individual sovereignties for *pooled sovereignty*. Similar to the TPP, TTIP, other trade agreements in play — the demise of democracies and how highly we value those democracies?
“The UK immigration system has become a hybrid because of EU law.”
It already was. Gandhi knew something about it, though his experience was in South Africa rather than the British isles. Someone else had that experience in Britain itself though I don’t remember what his name was.
Also before Schengen, and before the unification of Germany, any East German who was able to reach a West German embassy in any country could walk out with a West German passport. Do you suppose citizens of former colonies of Germany could do the same?
I’m sure you can find a better reason to vote to leave. For example, read what a newspaper in Nova Scotia had to say about Confederation.
If Obama and Trudeau endorse the EU, then it must be bad, right?
I did look at the film “brexit”. IMO it presents a highly biased one-sided argument, as there are clear advantages with the EU that were intentionally not mentioned. I was left with the question of how the problems with the way the EU is implemented may be resolved. It is of course possible that because of the poor implementation, there’s no mechanism to resolve whatever problems it has, but nothing of the sort was explored other than to jump out of the EU frying pan into what is likely the fire, so I would have liked to have seen a much more balanced discussion of how the EU functions. Terrible movie and not worth the time I lost watching it..
@MiddleFinger
Sorry you take that view even though I acknowledge that it is your right to do so. Each must make up their own minds on the subject of Bureaucratic Dictatorships taking over the world. FATCA & CRS are parts of the same issue IMHO. To me, the most telling thing is that no voter in Europe and no Parliament has any influence over what laws / regulations are created and implemented by the EU Bureaucracy; everything else pales into insignificance.
Thanks for the info about the movie. I will try to find it. I am trying to get a fuller understanding of the the UK referendum and Brexit. I am just at the beginnings of my research because I was surprised when my non political type brother who moved to the UK quite a while ago actually came out in favor of the UK pulling out.
The issue speaks to the question of how some treaties between countries is not always the shiny penny they was proposed to be. I was always surprised at how acceptable it was in so far as it affected the sovereignty of many countries. And the protectionary carve outs! Parma Ham! It was fun to follow the food stuff.
Initially I thought the free movement among countries was a good thing but I can see how that hasn’t worked out too well. It’s all in the details. Or as we Brockers say: the collateral damage and unintended (?) consequences of the actual application of laws. In my next life, I will study international law.
Most treaties these days are negotiated in secret without public involvement, and while they contain some positive features, they also inevitably contain a few rather nasty features that are hoped will be overlooked or at least overwhelmed by the more numerous positive features. After being made “public” (after the draft is leaked), the treaty is eventually finalized and signed, then it is taken to an “all or nothing” vote for ratification.
Now does this sneaky tactic remind you of those nasty omnibus bills that Harper was infamous for tabling?
Whenever you see an omnibus-like bill or treaty, it should be opposed without even bothering to read the text because it’s almost certain to be a bad deal.
@ George
Just a thought about the Brexit referendum…
I believe you have and will get more Democracy from the EU than from any British Gov who are hand in glove with the US.
Whom do you trust most?
http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-36036531
The UK can and do adjust quota’s of non EU immigrants according to their needs, the NHS is doing that right now.
@nervousinvestor
I’m not saying that the EU is any good, I was saying that the movie was bad. A much better movie, would have included opposing points of view and a well balanced discussion of the pros and cons, and at least some discussion on how the EU could be fixed, rather than considering it as a hopeless case to toss out. It was as if the conclusion was made well before the discussion even started, so I would say it was a political ad funded by the side that wants to exit the EU.
@ NervousInvestor.
“To me, the most telling thing is that no voter in Europe and no Parliament has any influence over what laws / regulations are created and implemented by the EU Bureaucracy; everything else pales into insignificance.”
How much influence does any individual voter have over the decisions its parliament makes? Except in Switzerland where decisions are made after constant referendums, we only have the ability to chose our representatives based on what they say, they will do whatever they chose and we all know what that means! Mr Trudeau is a prime example.
The UK gov is controlled by it’s financial sector. This was made obvious when they tried to slide out of limiting bankers greed. The collectivism of the EU helps control the excesses of each individual Gov. I don’t think the UK would waste one minute in signing up to the US controlled safe harbor replacement.
I believe the EU will be a better choice for guarding our privacy.
http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-36036531
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/banksandfinance/11122571/EU-to-crack-down-on-UK-attempts-to-sidestep-banker-bonus-cap.html
@Heidi..with all due respect….
Here in the UK there is a lot of information and mis-information flying back and forth. Some I believe is intentional and some I believe is unintentional.
That being the case I have had to sift through the evidence to reach a conclusion. That sifting is as follows;
1. Obama came to the UK to support remain. I resent any foreign political influence, this is a decision solely for the people of the United Kingdom. As a former homelander, I resented foreign political influence in the affairs of the USA. But more importantly, Obama has caused my family tremendous harm that has already cost my family tens of thousands of dollars and will cause tens of thousands in extracting my children (that is real money lost). He caused that harm, I can never trust anyone who has caused such direct harm to me and my family.
2. The remain camp is greatly funded by USA Banks and in particular Goldman Sachs. The firm of Goldman Sachs has its finger prints over harm to much of Europe, they are the epitomy of oligarchy capitalism.
The leave camp does have corporate such as from Wetherspoons a pub chain and Hargreaves Lansdowne a do it yourself brokerage firm!!
3. The EU as an institution has crushed the nation of Greece and its people. The “institutions” were not side by side with the people of Greece, they crushed them. Unemployment, suicides, drug use, prostitution all now at record levels in what was once a proud country. If thats what friends are for who needs enemies.
4. EU Immigration Law when combined with National Immigration laws is racist pure and simple. Whilst in principle I can support all open immigration, it simply can not work and must be controlled. There is a limit on the number of migrants that the UK can take and because there is no limit on EU migration we have to dial down Non-EU migration. Today we have a system where white eastern Europeans with low skills can come and work in the UK whilst a high skilled newly graduated accountant in Kingston Jamaica can not come to the UK. Immigration must solely be based on skills needed in the host country, period.
I do believe that you are correct in the area of privacy, but as I side the supporters of remain have caused too much carnage.
Cheers, George
#LabourLeave
@George
As a Brit , born and educated, (as well as Swiis) I hear the disinformation coming from each side.
If there was A Swiss referendum, I would support it staying out, we have close to democracy here, but I trust the British Gov even less than the EU , so I support remain.
With all respect for my Greek friends , Greece was in a mess before it joined the EU and came in under false pretences. You cannot place the whole blame on the EU for the economy, the greed of the banks and their investments in subprime that no one, even themselves understood, was the problem
I value my privacy and the report that the listening devices targeting Angela Merkle’s phone were situated on top of the British Embassy in Frankfurt at the bequest of the Americans, does not sit well with me. For a country within the the EU to spy against
another member for the benefit of the US is worrying to say the least. I am afraid if we leave it will only serve to force greater ties with the US.