Author Archives: Mark Twain

For those that are in the position for reform, it is important to again submit input to Congress.

Remember that the last efforts have put us on the radar and placed RBT as a logical solution.

Some of us are tired. We should all know that any input is helpful. One can send in the previous submission or simply send in a few lines.

Or, send in a larger and more researched article. It’s all up to you.

Or, send in a pre-formatted letter such as AARO has recommended.

https://aaro.org/images/model_letter_def.docx

Hatch, Wyden Launch New Effort to Seek Input on Bipartisan Tax Reform

http://www.finance.senate.gov/newsroom/chairman/release/?id=3bcf1fcf-9dd8-47d4-9202-21a0870cd8d6

Stakeholders and the Public Asked to Submit Ideas to Working Groups

WASHINGTON – Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) today announced a bipartisan effort to begin soliciting ideas from interested members of the public and stakeholders on how best to overhaul the nation’s broken tax code to make it simpler, fairer, and more efficient.  The goal of this effort is to provide additional input, data, and information to the Committee’s bipartisan tax working groups, which are currently analyzing existing tax law and examining policy trade-offs and available reform options within each group’s designated area.

“By opening up our bipartisan working groups to public input, we hope to gain a greater understanding of how tax policy affects individuals, businesses, and civic groups across our nation,” Hatch and Wyden said. “In doing so, we will also equip our working groups with valuable input, and we hope these suggestions will help guide the groups through the arduous task of putting forth substantive ideas to reform the tax code in each of their areas.”

Individuals, businesses, organizations, and advocacy groups interested in submitting comments should send an email to the below bipartisan group or groups that relates to their area of interest.  Please send submissions to each group of jurisdiction if an interest area covers more than one group.

Individual Income Tax – Individual@finance.senate.gov

Business Income Tax – Business@finance.senate.gov

Savings & Investment – Savings@finance.senate.gov

International Tax – International@finance.senate.gov

Community Development & Infrastructure – CommunityDevelopment@finance.senate.gov

Additional Submission Requirements:

• All submissions must be submitted as a pdf attachment. The attachment should be saved using the name of the organization/individual submitting the recommendations.
• Parties should list the name of the tax working group they wish to contact in the subject line of the email.
• Please include contact name, organization (if the submission is being submitted on behalf of a group), phone number, and email address, in the body of the email.
• Submissions will be accepted through April 15, 2015, and made public at a later date.
• If the above directions are not followed, the Committee reserves the right to not include the submission.
• If technical problems are incurred, parties can contact the Committee at 202-224-4515.

Each of the five bipartisan working groups is currently working to produce findings on current tax policy and legislative recommendations within its area, with the goal of having recommendations from each of the five working groups completed by the end of May.  Submissions from stakeholders will be reviewed by the working groups and ideas can be incorporated into the each working group’s final recommendations.  The five working group recommendations will be delivered to Chairman Hatch and Ranking Member Wyden, and will be considered in developing bipartisan tax reform legislation.

With only short-term memory, you can recall that Eric warned us about the danger of old laws (such as CBT or FBAR) lying on the books: “Reed Amendment, Logan Act: why worry about unenforced & unenforceable laws? ”

http://isaacbrocksociety.ca/2015/01/16/reed-amendment-logan-act-why-worry-about-unenforced-unenforceable-laws/

Do you remember laughing at Ronald Reagan, when he said: “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction”  I do.

And I remember having some thoughts of dismissing Eric’s article, too. (although those only lasted about 0.25 seconds)

Well, all it takes is a little sheeple-driven bipartisan politics to make it happen, and now it is happening.

http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/impeach-and-prosecute-1.fb47?source=s.fb&r_by=12648917

It’s objective is for one side of the political spectrum to go after the other side of the political spectrum.

However, the Logan Act is not directed at political leaders, it is directed at guys like Logan himself, who is pretty much like you or me or any of the organizers of the citizens abroad groups.

There is no better way to spread propaganda, than to have propaganda spread itself. A petition such as this can come at any time and enforcement of the Logan act could begin at sunrise of any day.

Just look at your own facebook page and see how many times you have seen this petition. I’ve seen it twice so far.  It has 42,078 signatures so far.

A mirror petition is now up on Whitehouse.gov

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/prosecute-john-boehner-violation-logan-act/phgwC0r0

All it takes is a little hate (of one party or the other) to have laws like the Logan Act enacted.

Tim has provided the link to the hearing yesterday in Washington DC, with Jim Butera representing the Florida Bankers Assn against the Treasury Department.

Separate post.

I found the level of expertise to be quite amateurish. That the judges were asking the plaintiff and defendants for their opionions. And the defendant’s answers are quite ridiculous.

Also, here the Texas bankers discuss the case here.

http://www.texasbankers.com/TABC/TABCNews/Florida_and_Texas_Bankers_Associations_to_Continue_Efforts_to_Protect_Foreign_Depositors.aspx

http://www.svt.se/nyheter/regionalt/vastnytt/svenska-banker-letar-efter-amerikaner

(hit the right button on the picture two times, and you come to a video with English text)

The article says:

Tinna’s mother became pregnant at the ship to America, and Tinna lived in the US its first three months. Now she can owe the US Internal Revenue thousands of dollars.

1962 had Tinna dad got a job as a visiting scholar in New Haven, United States. He took his family and on the way there was Tinna’s mother pregnant.

– They were bored on the boat, and nine months later I came, says Tinna who currently works as a teacher at Lerum’s high school.

She shows a photo of him and his proud big sister, and a telegram that his father sent when she was born.

– Rejoice Kristina is born, it says. After three months, we went home.

The huge write in effort to the Ways and Means and Senate created a marked result in Congress.

The American Chamber of Commerce is now looking for feedback. So why not oblige?

“If you could draft one New Year’s resolution for the 114th Congress, what would it be? ‪#‎WeTheVoters“

That opens up 2 opportunities: One opportunity is to tweet that resolution.

The other is on facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/uschamber?fref=nf

See the announcement on the Chamber of Commerce webpage

https://www.uschamber.com/blog/your-new-years-resolutions-114th-congress?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Wallpost&utm_campaign=Status

Read how the Chamber of Commerce thinks. And make your response appropriately.   Think like Roger Conklin always had talked—that US global success is dependent upon the expat boots on the ground.

“So new year, new Congress… America voted for a new direction. But, unless voters hold lawmakers accountable, we run the risk of achieving the same old gridlock.

Let’s welcome our new representatives to Washington, DC by offering a list of suggested New Year’s resolutions. Be creative—share a photo of your storefront, take a video, have fun—remember lawmakers are humans; they love to hear from their constituents. Sometimes it just takes a compelling message to rise above the noise.

Messages from small business owners are particularly important—they hold enormous credibility for lawmakers. And it makes sense considering that small businesses are responsible for 66% of all net new jobs since the 1970s. We understand you’re busy. The good news is that you don’t have to travel all the way to DC to make your voice heard! That’s our job; we’re here to help.

122314_bl_resolution3.jpg

FacebookTweetPin It

United States Capital, with text overlay of hashtag #WeTheVoters

Share your suggestion, include the hashtag, and check out responses from others below!

 

 

If you could draft one New Year’s resolution for the 114th Congress, what would it be? 

Tax reform, regulatory relief, workforce development, increased access to global markets? You tell us! Share a resolution for your representatives on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or Vine, and include the following hashtag: #WeTheVoters.

As the world’s largest business federation, it’s our job to represent American businesses in our nation’s capital. We’ll be monitoring, retweeting, and sharing key messages that include the hashtag. Furthermore, we’ll be selecting a few of the very best messages and white-listing them for promotion during the State of The Union address. This is an opportunity to reach beyond your normal audience, and engage directly with lawmakers.

Let’s make 2015 the year of jobs, growth, and opportunity!

Share your New Year’s resolution for Congress, and don’t forget to include the hashtag! “

An author, John Gaver,  has recently opened a window to allow “the real story”

Here is how he responded to some multiple blasts from one of our colleague dissidents:

@… @kred65 @… Tell me how that story can be written 2 address the reader’s question “How does it affect me?” & I will.  

This gives an opening to either present US citizens in a good light, or to present the administration in a bad light, depending upon how the author skews the information.

Here is the  incorrect information he provided in his article, which ellicited some nasty feedback from Brockers and others

http://www.examiner.com/article/obama-drives-record-10-000-wealthy-u-s-taxpayers-to-renounce-citizenship

Continue reading →

Telling your Congressman or your media contact that you are “Collateral Damage” has no effect. Your Congressman doesn’t give a sh_t—because you are not collateral damage—you are the target.

This article is a cross post from: http://samuelclemmons.wordpress.com/2014/10/27/the-real-intent-of-fatca-you-are-not-collateral-damage-you-are-the-target/

The term “collateral damage” shows up in all the articles, all the pleas to Congress, and in the Talking Points of Lemmings Abroad. It’s not really a damaging label—unless you believe it to be true and don’t plan otherwise.

Let’s stop talking about FATCA’s “collateral damage” and start discussing real intent.  FATCA is the enforcement tool to collect IRS taxes and penalties from non US residents receiving no standard government services (schools, roads, education, or social welfare).  FATCA talking points contradict the administration’s own statements upon FATCA intentions.

FATCA funded the 2010 Jobs for Mainstreet Act–a domestic jobs bill. It purports to collect $8.5-$8.9 billion of tax and penalties over ten years, by identifying previously-undertaxed US citizens overseas. It demands the world’s banks to aggressively identify their residents who are US citizens, forwarding their identities to the IRS for taxation and penalties.

FATCA aggressively enforces the US’ globally-unique taxation system, which uniquely taxes-up its non-resident US citizens to the highest of the tax rates of their residence country or US.  This includes any previously under-taxed non-US retirement products, unemployment benefits, home sale gains, and anything above $95,000 earned in countries like UAE (UAE’s high corporate tax eliminates personal tax).

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