Liberty and justice for all United States persons abroad

The Isaac Brock Society

Media and Blog Articles – Part 1 of 11 (to 26 May 2015)

You can access all years at this link:

http://isaacbrocksociety.ca/media-and-blog-articles-links-for-all-years/

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.

26 May 2015:  This thread is now closed.  It continues at Media and Blog Articles Open for Comment, Part 2 of 2.

2015.05.26

New Survey finds US expat voting could impact 2016 Presidential Election, Greenback Expat Tax Services, NASDAQ GlobeNewswire.

This congressional committee wants to hear all your FOIA gripes, Colby Itkowitz, Washington Post, US.

The black money recovery skills of IT department are nothing to write home about, Vivek Kaul, The Daily Reckoning.

2015.05.25

The Intersection of US Federal Tax Law with Collection of International Information- – Including Other  Federal Agencies, Patrick W. Martin, TaxExpatriaation, US.

2015.05.23

America the not so brave:  America has led the global assault on tax dodgers and their enablers.  But the reality still lags behind the rhetoric, The Economist, UK.

Cash Banned from Chase Safe Deposit Boxes, Matt Chilliak, Live and Invest News.

2015.05.22

US Steuergesetz hat unerwartete globale Konsequenzen, Colleen Graffy, Geopolitical Information Service.  Also at Consequences of US widening net to catch tax dodgers, Colleen Graffy, World Review.

The horse may have bolted … but, Angelo Venardos, Asia Asset Management.

Important Correction:  Passports Required to Enter and Leave US — but SSNs May be Optional, Patrick W. Martin, Tax Expatriation, US.

2015.05.21

Americans working abroad face unexpected financial issues, Sarah O’Brien, NBC, US.

Senate tax reform groups get more time, Bernie Becker, The Hill, US.

2015.05.20

Malaysia will defer FATCA reporting, FSI Tax Posts.

America’s Self-Inflicted Wound, Moises Naim, The Atlantic, US.

Janice Mays:  The Tax Guru Who Guides House Democrats, Alex Brown, National Journal, US.

Sen. Rand Paul Launches Filibuster in Protest of Patriot Act Renewal, C-SPAN, US.

Articles from earlier in 2015 are at this link

Articles from 2014 are at this link

Media and Blog Articles Open for Comment, Part 2, is at this link

Media and Blog Articles Open for Comment, Part 3, is at this link

3,971 thoughts on “Media and Blog Articles – Part 1 of 11 (to 26 May 2015)”

  1. TELL THE IRS:

    This just posted at the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel’s Facebook page:

    “The TAP has added its first International panel member, who is living in Switzerland. We held our face to face meetings this past week and I had the opportunity to sit in on the Special Projects Committee, which includes all International issues. The new International member is very aware of the issues facing Americans living abroad, and we (IRS personnel) feel she will bring a very unique perspective to the panel. We were made aware of the closing of the TAS offices abroad during our meetings, which only supports the International issues all the more. If you have specific issues, I encourage you to go to our website http://www.improveirs.gov and submit them to us.

  2. @ Bubblebustin
    Good find but your link for TAP doesn’t link. Try this … http://www.improveirs.org/ … and to make a comment this … http://www.improveirs.org/speakup.aspx

    It says name and e-mail are optional and even offers the choice of “international” instead of a state. They actually understand that not all Americans live in the USA. Good for them! I commend them for adding an overseas member to their panel.

  3. Just posted on the Taxpayer Advisory Panel Facebook page:

    “The TAP has added its first International panel member, who is living in Switzerland. We held our face to face meetings this past week and I had the opportunity to sit in on the Special Projects Committee, which includes all International issues. The new International member is very aware of the issues facing Americans living abroad, and we (IRS personnel) feel she will bring a very unique perspective to the panel. We were made aware of the closing of the TAS offices abroad during our meetings, which only supports the International issues all the more. If you have specific issues, I encourage you to go to our website http://www.improveirs.org/ and submit them to us.”

    For more about the panel:

    http://www.irs.gov/Advocate/Taxpayer-Advocacy-Panel

  7. @Kathy,
    You mention that the Harper government is fighting for Canadian steel as a sovereignty issue. Add the softwood lumber dispute to the list of assets and goods the Canadian federal government is willing to champion and oppose the US on issues that disadvantae the banks and the investment industry re Canadian sovereignty – ex. Dodd-Frank and the Volcker rule) BUT the Harper government did NOT fight for the rights and assets of individual Canadian citizens, families, and businesses – and Canadian sovereignty as abridged by FATCA.

    See for an example of what the Canadian government chose to fight the US over;
    ‘Softwood Dispute: Taxing Canada’s sovereignty?’

    “Canada and the United States are the world’s largest trading partners, but there’s one thing they’ve never agreed on: softwood lumber. The dispute dates back hundreds of years, but in the 1980s it turned nasty. The U.S. has slapped billions of dollars of fines on Canadian wood, jeopardizing thousands of jobs. The dispute raises serious questions about trade, sovereignty, and the real nature of Canada-U.S. relations.”
    from http://www.cbc.ca/archives/categories/economy-business/trade-agreements/at-loggerheads-the-canada-us-softwood-lumber-dispute/taxing-canadas-sovereignty.html

    The Cons will fight for softwood lumber exports to the US, and for Canadian banks like TD expanding into the US market, but not for the homegrown and homeowned RESPs, RDSPs, family savings, Canadian business accounts and other legal local assets earned by, generated by, and held by CANADIAN families WITHIN Canadian borders.

    And in the realm of the financial industry, the Cons, and the Canadian Bankers Association were willing to take on the Volcker rule, but not FATCA;
    Ex.
    “For Canadians, the consequences could be significant if U.S. regulators do not respect NAFTA and Canadian regulatory sovereignty during their implementation of Dodd Frank

    The Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement and its offspring, the North American Free Trade Agreement, faces a new test. NAFTA has, as University of Calgary academic Eugene Beaulieu correctly observed in his recent New York Times column, “facilitated an integrated North American economy allowing producers to obtain and produce goods continentally and compete in a globalized world.” Yet the 20th anniversary of NAFTA this January may be marred by the most unlikely of issues – banking.

    When the Canada-U.S. FTA was enacted on Jan. 2, 1988, key provisions maintained each country’s regulatory sovereignty over banking. Neither the U.S. nor Canada would extend their regulatory reach beyond their borders. When cross-border regulation seemed necessary, harmonized regulation would be negotiated between the countries’ regulators.

    This made sense. Canada and the U.S. have significantly different banking systems and oversight traditions….”

    …”For Canadians, the consequences could be significant if U.S. regulators do not respect NAFTA and Canadian regulatory sovereignty during their implementation of Dodd Frank.
    Advertisement

    Financing costs for Canadian governments will increase, leaving less money for debt repayment and social programs….”….

    http://business.financialpost.com/2013/12/09/volcker-rule-release-will-be-bankings-test-for-nafta/
    or,
    “…Douglas Landy, a former staff attorney at the New York Federal Reserve, who is now representing Canadian and other non-U.S. banks in their battle over the Volcker rule, says U.S. lawmakers are simply overreaching into the affairs of other countries.” http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/canada-raising-alarm-over-volcker-rule/article548706/

    The Harper Cons and the Canadian banks dedicated real resources to fighting Dodd Frank and the Volcker rule, even as at the same time they capitulated on FATCA and sold Canadian citizens and legal residents down the river to the south.

  11. Thanks EmBee, Mark Twain for the correct links. I let the commenter on the TAP Facebook page know.

  13. Not looking good: Obama in State of the Union address on 22 January will delve into tax reform: kind of a Robbin Hood plan for the middle class, yet of course will probably only be helpful to the middle class if you live in the US.

  14. @JC

    So any foreign company that merges with a US company will become a US taxpayer. Like it’s citizens, American companies too will become pariahs!

  15. @JC

    Don’t think that Obama is for the middle class… if u look at what he wants… it will hit the middle class… no matter where u are… increase of capital gains tax… retired people like the elders in my family live on their dividends & interest… so they get less… increase of taxation of inheritance… that money has been paid for in our life time already… so they want another chunk of it after we are gone… at this rate… we can’t properly invest… no bank wants us… actually… if u have the US taint… no one wants to do business with u… Obama is for the poor… he thinks he is Robin Hood with our money

  16. I read that Obama has no chance of getting those tax reforms through. But it is good propaganda to gain votes.

  18. @monalisa
    I fear that to the general public, Obama is going to look like Robin Hood, and the Republicans like some kind of ogre who are all tax cheats helping Wall Street criminals. Hopefully, the Republicans have a plan ….

  19. @Polly

    Republicans plan to not cause any no big fights until after the next big election cause they hope to elect more republicans into office… especially the oval office… that is the plan… so watch us all get strung along so people will vote for a hope of big change…

  21. @Polly, if Obama has his way, a large portion of a potential future inheritance from my parents could wind up being largely taxed, plus who’s to say the USG might not pass subsequent legislation to punish former citizens by raiding their US -sourced inheritances, etc.

  22. @i2, @Moderators, the article from Estonia should be front page!!

    @MonaLisa, I have no doubt that former pats will get shafted along the road. A US Place of Birth is an indelible tattoo, no matter what you do it still remains. Live your life forwarned…..

  24. @i2 @George

    That from Estonia is great and highlights what I like to point out, the ineffectiveness of FATCA as it will fail to detect many US persons.

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