Media and Blog Articles – part 2 of 11 (Year 2015)
You can access all years at this link: Media and Blog Articles – Links for All Years
If clicking on a comment link brings you to the wrong comment, click here to get on the most recent page of comments.(alternatively, to reach the most recent comment page, go to the url in the bar at the top of your browser and delete everything after http://isaacbrocksociety.ca/media-and-blog-articles-open-for-comments-part-2-of-2 )
Media and Blog Articles
EmBee suggested that it would be good if there was a thread for new articles, so that people would be aware of where to comment. So, I created this permanent page. You could mention such articles in the comment stream for this page, or if I see one on another thread, I can copy the link to here. I’ll keep adding to the list, but not deleting, so we’ll end up having sort of a “bibliography” too. [Note: Some articles are not open for comments]
For more articles on FATCA, enter FATCA into Google then click on the link “more news for fatca” just below the most recent featured article.
Note also: JC suggests to see #FATCA on Twitter for latest breaking news. JC finds that is quite a good source and there even are some international articles that one may read using Google Translate.” Others may help certain tweets and articles remain in elevated position by retweeting them.
Be sure to read the comment stream for this thread — there are usually very recent articles mentioned there that are not yet on this list.
2015.01.01
Raising revenue off Caribbean backs, Bruce Zagaris, NationNews, Barbados.
On or about 2016.01.01
16 issues to make 2016 candy for the market, Westfield Times.
2015.12.31
Tax reporting norms: FinMin updates guidance note on compliance, K.R. Srivats, Hindu Business Line, India.
2015.12.30
Top Tax Blogs from 2015, Tax Connections. (Congratulations to John Richardson and Lynne Swanson who placed 2nd and 4th!)
Global dragnet puts pressure on tax evaders as year-end deadlines loom, Jeff Gray, Globe and Mail, Canada.
IRS Employee Whose Job Was Assisting Victims Of Identity Theft Charged in $1 Million Identity Theft Tax Fraud, Paul Caron, TaxProfBlog, US.
How America’s Wealthiest Are Saving Billions Through a Private Tax System, TruthDig.
RA Returns Home, TaxProTalk forum.
2015.12.29
For the Wealthiest, a Private Tax System That Saves Them Billions, Noam Scheiber and Patricia Cohen, New York Times, US.
IRS Stirs Up New Crisis With Non-Profits Over Social Security Numbers, Eric Pianin, The Fiscal Times.
DNC Must Heed Warning Bells From 2000, Bennet Kelley, Huffington Post, US.
2015.12.28
IRS Creates “International Practice Units” for their IRS Revenue Agents in International Tax Matters, Patrick Martin, Tax-Expatriation, US.
MF investors: Les than a4th comply with US tax law, Jayshree P. Upadhyay & Ashley Coutinho, Business Standard, India.
IRS service should improve after some saw their ‘worst tax season,” advocate says, Robert Schroeder, MarketWatch, US.
Republicans Overseas Files Lawsuit on behalf of US Expats
http://www.republicansoverseas-uk.com/fatcalawsuit
More on the NTA’s report on FATCA:
http://www.fsitaxposts.com/2015/07/16/irs-taxpayer-advocate-report-on-fatca-burdens/
Just incase your BP is too low…….
On: The Citizens for Tax Justice FB site (https://www.facebook.com/taxjustice) posted an article about Rand Paul and the suit: “A top priority for presidential candidate Sen. Rand Paul is standing up for wealthy tax cheats. He has single-handedly blocked a treaty that prevents the wealthy from hiding cash in offshore Swiss bank accounts. Now he’s suing the feds for dubious reasons.”
They then deleted all comments and BLOCKED anyone from commenting that did not drink their kook-aid. This is beyond ridiculous. So we are citizens for tax purposes but not citizens for tax justice. Well, I guess that isn’t news to anyone here. Guess it is just an in-your-face blatant, rage instilling, reminder.
Maybe those of you who use twitter can ask them why they have deleted all comments and blocked anyone from presenting the real story. They only allow those calling us tax cheats to post.
Citizens for Tax Justice twitter feed: https://twitter.com/taxjustice
CTJ (@taxjustice) | Twitter
The latest Tweets from CTJ (@taxjustice). Citizens for Tax Justice Tweets here. News on Tax Fairness and…
TWITTER.COM
Rand Paul sues feds over taxes on citizens living abroad: Rand Paul in the news
http://www.cleveland.com/rnc-2016/index.ssf/2015/07/rand_paul_campaigns_in_texas_r.html
JC: See discussion @ http://isaacbrocksociety.ca/2015/07/14/finally-the-bopp-suit-has-arrived/comment-page-5/#comment-6298476. Got me too!
@Calgary411 Yes it becomes good satire if one reads the entirety. Yet many don’t (maybe like myself) and the initial impression is not favorable to the cause. At least said person got me to put together a new line to use with the opposition:
You might think of it this way: You, your parents, or your grandparents may have come from a country overseas. Do you think it right if those countries require reporting of your US bank accounts, with potentially bankrupting penalties if not done or not done to their requirements and for you to pay tax to those countries – on all the income and investment taxes that those countries have that the American system does not? And if you happen to have signature authority on a bank account say for power of attorney, employer, neighbourhood girl scouts etc. that this account information must be reported to those countries else major fines to you, your company? With the above you might consider this situation differently.
Good reply to read for those who were hooked by the audacious comment above, JC.
More false hopes from the US Congress? Are we exhausted yet from sending letters? Maybe we need to bombard them with the submissions sent to the SFC.
https://honda.house.gov/news/press-releases/americans-abroad-caucus-members-maloney-honda-new-commission-needed-to-study
Barbara: I’m happy to hear about this bill. But wasn’t this committee set up a couple of years ago to study our issues? What have they managed not to learn about us since then? What is it they haven’t already heard? All they need to do is read the submissions to the House Ways and Means Committee of 2013, the submissions this past spring to the Senate Finance Committee, the findings of Amanda Klekowski’s survey, the findings of the Dems Abroad survey, etc. etc. etc.
If someone who feels they can directly communicate with the U.S. government would like to send this committee a reminder about all of the above and any other repositories of information about us and our situation perhaps it would be good to jog their memories. Honestly, what is there left to study?
@Barbara
Wow. Thats new and it is good. And these are democrats? I wonder why they have popped up NOW? Why weren’t they involved when the official Orin Hatch tax reform group was pondering these issues?
One for our team in HuffPo: (Wendy has been a fabulous advocate for us in the US).
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/wendy-n-powell/a-guy-walks-into-a-bar-ar_b_7812082.html
@ Charl
Dave Sneed (commenter at Huff Po) needs to be informed that “accidental” Americans (departed while babes in arms) and many others living outside the borders of Mordor do not owe the USA anything for the education, medical care, paved roads or anything else which they did NOT receive or ever will receive from the USA.
@Embee Mr Sneed has been justly nuked! Mr. Sneed embodies the US psyche. He also thinks folks don’t pay taxes abroad!
@ Charl
Great but I see now that John Hanson has posted a link to that satire piece from the Manatee about the lottery. It’s a funny piece but I’m afraid some will not be aware that it is satire.
Oh crap, Dave Snide (err Sneed) is back on Huff Po and now he’s onto the marines will rescue you canard. Sure, like their NON-rescue of Americans in Yemen as the Israelis and Saudis tag teamed to reduce one of the poorest nations in the world to blood and rubble. Cheese Louise!
@MuzzledNoMore: I’m not convinced that the House Americans Abroad Caucus is even aware of the submissions to the Senate Finance Committee. If anyone has a good idea how to officially put all those submissions in front of those Representatives’ eyes, I will personally download all 250+ files (if they’re still available online) and officially submit them, even if it means printing them out and mailing them (I suspect that paper submissions still have more impact in this day and age than electronic ones).
Never mind my question about how to contact this House committee. It hasn’t yet been set up. I plan to directly phone the communications director listed at the bottom of the press release about the Americans Abroad Caucus and find out the situation. Will report back here as soon as I learn what’s going on, and what we can do.
That’s very generous of you Barbara. I put your offer up on the AARO and American Expatriates Facebook pages for Keith Redmond to see. Yes, is Caroline Maloney even aware of the SFC submissions?
@Bubblebustin. Not generosity, but ornery pissed-offedness on my part. What I hate is having to wait until Monday night my time (East Asia; 12 hours ahead) to make the phone call.
@Barbara
It’s amazing how far “ornery pissedoffness” has gotten most of us. We should bottle it. Sorry about the time difference. Maybe you should let them know what lengths you’re going to to get your voice heard beyond the “miscellaneous” section of their report!
From August 2012: http://maloney.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/maloney-honda-rangel-introduce-bill-create-bipartisan-commission-how-us-government
and March 2013: http://maloney.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/rep-maloney-receives-award-association-american-residents-overseas
and, on ACA: https://americansabroad.org/issues/fatca/caucus-members-support-fatca-same-country-exemption/
The right hand needs to know what the left hand is doing or has done!
@Calgary411: Regarding their support for SCE…All the more reason to bombard them with information. Fortunately we have an existing inventory of submissions to bombard them with. I will first phone to find out what’s up, then report here. If there is a way to get documents to someone who will actually read them, I will then follow through with a mass package of the relevant SFC submissions (not including those which refer only to company taxes). Maybe someone else can dredge up the 2013 submissions to the House Ways & Means Committee.
In my gut I feel that this will end up another fruitless effort. On the other hand, we need to be pests at each and every opportunity, like mosquitoes, and not let them rest. Otherwise we may as well simply give up.
Barbara, I hope you can ascertain whether or not this group has and are considering all of those submissions. If not (and I guess we could believe that)…
The link for the Ways and Means Committee submissions (http://waysandmeans.house.gov/taxreform_workinggroups-2) is now dead. I uploaded all of the relevant submissions there in conjunction with the Kish / Richardson submission to the Senate Finance Committee. So, I believe we can produce them.
The submissions for Senate Finance Committee / International Tax Working Group submissions are still at this link: http://www.finance.senate.gov/legislation/details/?id=34184F67-5056-A032-52C8-0A4960018D92.
You’re right — it’s another opportunity so we have to try. Thanks!
This did not go anywhere for a few years via the American “Caucus” : H.R. 597 – to study the impact of the American government on Americans living abroad.
Recent action on this: I once found text on the above which IMHO had a severely within the beltway terms of reference. I could not find text of below:
H.R.3078 (2015/2016) – To establish a commission to study how Federal laws and policies affect United States citizens living in foreign countries.
07/15/2015 Referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and in addition to the Committees on Financial Services, Ways and Means, the Judiciary, House Administration, and Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Sponsor: Representative Carolyn B. Maloney
Summary: https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/3078/amendments.
https://twitter.com/DemsAbroad/status/622115395487535105