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.
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.
@Whitekat, I fully support any proposal that gets anyone out the door!!
Why? If I can save one, I will do it.
Further, this is also the legislative slippery slope but in out favour. Once something is on the books, it can then be amended with a minor amendment and making huge change. Removing a comma can change the nature of the law.
A war is one with each single skirmish and battle…..take a victory anywhere you can get it, even if small.
@JC and George, thank you. Unfortunately, many (even some who are deemed our leaders) do not see it this way.
@George
The Save the Children gimmick is a half measure in the same league as Same Country Exemption.
It gives the Democrats the ability to declare victory by freeing a token few while throwing away the key for everyone else.
I cannot support half measures. Every single Non-Resident American must be freed from bondage. Only then will I cheer.
@FromTheWilderness. F You. All those who claimed relinquishment and got off with no renunciation fee and no past tax compliance issues to deal with – what do you say about them? Should we have held them back instead of cheered them on as we did.? I gotta tell you, as I listened to many of the stories I felt a twinge of envy and saw very clearly the unfairness, but never ever thought I had a right to deny them their freedom. Yet they are more ‘American’ than the accidentals/children expats who would be saved by what you call a gimmick. Go rethink your position. It sucks big time.
@George
I completely understand your argument that accidentals should not feel compelled to do anything to rectify their situation, because after all why should they? If someone is purely of this mindset, what obligation would they have go to the trouble of establishing that with a foreign government’s consulate under the Obama proposal? I would think that would be an admission of sorts.
It’s similar to Blaze’s attitude. She’s no longer a US citizen – what obligation does she have to prove that to the US government by going down to the consulate to get a CLN? The argument that accidentals never were US citizens is lost by requiring them to show up at the US consulate to make it official, or am I missing something?
@WhiteKittyKat,
I will save my curse words for the tyrants in Washington.
If you can escape from the plantation yourself through relinquishment, renunciation, going underground or whatever — good for you!
But the only US policy changes I will lobby for are changes that are real solutions and for all Non-Resident Americans, not just a select few.
RBT or bust!
@Lost In The Wilderness.
I’ll direct curse words towards those who claim to be my allies, but who in fact are not really, as well as to the tyrants in Washington.
Freedom for the non-American Americans! F those who only care about themselves.
@WhiteKat
The Obama proposal isn’t going anywhere. Better hope for your sake that your former allies get somewhere in their fight for RBT.
FU too BB,
@Whitekat
“F those who only care about themselves.”
Well at least we agree on something.
@FromTheWilderness,
No we don’t.
@BB and FromTheWilderNess,
It is never a good thing to hold back freedom from people in hopes that their suffering will help relieve you of yours. Trust me, you WILL pay a price for this way of thinking. And my FU comments, though they may offend some, are just an expression of that truth.
@BB RE: (oops was that a private email): ” How dare you curse me and accuse me of the things you have, when you yourself are a fraud? You are no accidental, so get off that bandwagon. You applied for and received a US passport (by your own admission) whether you signed it or not makes no iota of difference. Don’t be a fool.”
Who’s the fool?
@BB, do I need to explain to everyone here at Brock how I ended up with one US passport that I never signed (and was the reason I never became a plaintiff in the ACDC lawsuit even though I volunteered)?
How does this make me a fraud? WTF is an ‘accidental’? Shall we have that conversation also?
How many of you remember the James Bond movie Thunderball – one of Sean Connery’s finest. The villan Emiilo Largo, said the following:
Emillo Largo might as well be referring to the Obama proposal.
@USC, I’d rather just face reality, than pretend to be friends, but that’s just me.
@WhiteKat Sounds like you have an energy surge – maybe best to let some steam off on some of the comment sections of the articles.
s/b ‘All guns pointed outward.’
@JC, yeah, just an energy surge….pardon me.
I think that it is likely that to divide and conquer is what is intended by the US. Including to derail challenges to FATCA IGAs – in Canada, and perhaps future ones in for example, the EU. The Safe Harbour proposal or a less onerous exit process for some subset of accidentals is sure to come with barriers to climb and the usual pitfalls and incomprehensible forms. I don’t trust the US government, Treasury etc. to do what is right or fair. They have offered only distortions, insults and threats. So I can’t believe that any proposal from them comes in good faith. I think it is more likely deflection, diversion, and derailment. If there were any sincere good intentions, they would not have allowed the State Dept to increase the renunciation fee to 2350. USD. and to let the backlog of renunciations grow so large. When the consular official in Toronto told Stephen bluntly that renunciations and the backlog were of low priority, and that they had no intention of doing anything about it http://isaacbrocksociety.ca/2014/11/04/my-november-4-2014-conversation-with-toronto-consul-general-of-us-new-renunciation-appointments-extended-to-september-2015/comment-page-1/ that tells me that they are not even concerned about how bad that looks, as they feel that they will never be held to account.
@Badger:
I agree with you.
Alas I think FATCA-like rules are here to stay. Governments everywhere love the idea. It’s like electronic surveillance and limitation of cash transactions. France limits cash transactions to 3000 euros, to limit “fraud”. Now they want to limit them to 1000 euros, to limit “terrorism”. My point is they’ll use any excuse to increase control, and blatantly change that excuse along the way. FATCA, NSA, etc. Needed because of fraud, tax evasion, terrorism, drugs, whatever works. The US probably considers CBT to be an important tool, to control people beyond its borders. It won’t give it up easily.
Re US unconcern with expatriations: I do think, however, that “how bad they look” is important to them. We are fighting for an issue that concerns us here greatly, but few people overall. Which is why they will try to ignore opposition. But if they encounter true resistance, and public ridicule, they will, hopefully, back off.
@WhiteKat
“It is never a good thing to hold back freedom from people in hopes that their suffering will help relieve you of yours.”
I am not holding back your freedom. I just choose to keep my energy dedicated to freeing everyone, not just a few so-called “accidentals,” a narrow group that you seem to be part of. You can fight all you want for yourself, but my fight is for everyone — fullstop.
@whitecat
Don’t leave IBS,it’s united we stand, divided we fall. I don’t think there is one person here who would begrudge you a get out of jail free card, but we are realists and believe these latest ploys are just to undermine our efforts to bring about real change. We are all allowed to speak our minds to tell it like we see it. Let’s face it, whether we support these half arsed proposals or not will make any difference, hopefully the lawsuit will.
@ FromTheWilderness
Your comments about Obama’s proposal (for accidental duals at birth) being aimed at undermining the ADCS legal action make perfect sense to me.
You should realize that WhiteKat is a loyal dedicated fighter for everyone affected by this injustice.
@ Badger, I also do not trust the USG, and would be leery about coming forward to claim Obama’s proposal (should it ever become law) and put myself on the US radar. I would need more convincing to do that.
@ heidi – yes, we must hope for a ADCS victory (and that the Senate Finance Committee and a Republican president will change CBT to RBT) and stand together (or, as others have said, we may hang separately)
It is just such a sad state of affairs when one cannot trust one`s own government. Tragic. Its like a dysfunctional family with abusive parents. What then is the “child” supposed to do – one is dependent? But the question then occurs to me: how much can a government do without the people approving it? And somehow- it seems that many voters approve of what the government is doing. Are they brainwashed? Or is it just that those who disagree are too few? Is everybody busy getting stoned and they just let the government do whatever it wants?