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. @JC

    Thanks for posting the new survey from Dr. Amanda Klekowski von Koppenfels from the University of Kent in Brussels.

  4. @Bubblebustin I sent an e-mail to Dr. Amanda Klekowski von Koppenfels encouraging her to present her survey and survey aims right on this comment page. The DA survey was really excellent. RA and AA should have surveys as well. I like the idea of Amanda’s survey as connected to a university outside of the US and not connected to a US political party.

  9. @Isaac Brock Society @Calgary411

    Posting here thanks to the kind email from JC regarding my survey. It is a new survey which went live on 5 December 2014. I anticipate it remaining open until mid-January 2015. I am hoping to have a large number of responses in order to really put some nuance and depth – based on research data – into the discussions of citizenship renunciation. Most articles seem to be based on relatively few targeted interviews. I’m hoping to uncover more of the nuance in the situation. The survey is relatively short and asks for some basic demographic data, reasons for moving out of the US, what countries respondents live in now, and asks about citizenship renunciation intentions. I intend to publish academic articles from this, but can also share key findings, likely in February. You may be familiar with my recent book, Migrants or Expatriates? Americans in Europe. I’d be grateful if you could respond to the survey, and also share widely. I can be contacted at ak248@kent.ac.uk . Thank you!

  10. @JC

    Please do not post an entire article that is paywalled ( or even if not) unless you have the author’s permission. Without permission, we can only post excerpts and a link.

  11. I completed the von Koppenfels survey last night and was very impressed. I’ve started many surveys, completed them 1/2 way through, and stopped because it became apparent there was an ‘agenda’; the survey was superficial; or the survey didn’t really want to know the real issues. That’s not the case with this survey.

    As explained in her post above, the survey really does offer the opportunity to delve into the nuances. It’s a much more scholarly approach and gives one the chance to go much deeper into an individuals relationship with America, and if the relationship has broken down, a chance to define the detail (both practical and emotional) as to why that has happened. Don’t look to be ‘lead’ by the survey. There aren’t the obvious “it’s because of the tax reporting or FATCA stupid” type questions.

    It doesn’t take long, but don’t do it in a rush. Through its opportunities to define your issues, it should be far more incisive than the Democrats Abroad survey could ever be. With the right analysis, (and judging from the composition of the survey, I have faith it will be) a much more in depth and informative result will be reached. It could go well beyond the ‘sound bites’ we employ to try to make others understand the issues, and journey into the real crisis some of us face. I look forward to the summary.

  12. Democrats Abroad just emailed a “Survey Monkey” request, asking if one had not voted and why. I got a bit carried away with my reply! Not sure what they were looking for, but this is what they got:

    “The Republican candidate was running unopposed in my district. Had there been candidates from both parties, I would sadly have had to make the agonizing choice to vote against the Democrats, to whom I have been loyal for almost thirty years.

    “The main issue for me is the unbelievably severe penalties for “foreign” accounts, unrelated to any tax owing, penalties that appear to have been born out of hatred and jealousy, with little thought for fairness or even common sense. Compounded by FATCA, the US’s incredibly complex penalty-and-form system is now destroying the lives of US expats and emigrants, as well as immigrants who left family accounts behind them, and many others whom no reasonable person would even see as being “US persons for tax purposes,” but which the law so declares.

    “FATCA was put into place hastily and without the precaution of first resolving these underlying issues: ie. the need to let go of emigrants, tax-wise, and to realize that no amount of paperwork can make overseas financial lives compatible with US tax laws. Before FATCA, common sense and individual integrity could smooth out the impossible conflicts between systems, but now FATCA is forcing the whole world to witness the innate injustice in the system, and it does not like what it sees.

    “There is no justification for raising funds with massive arbitrary filing penalties when no tax is owed. Penalties unrelated to tax owed make a mockery of tax justice, besides penalizing normal overseas lives,

    “The absurdity increases when a green card that expired many years previously, or a few months spent in the US as an infant, are considered a basis for extorting hundreds of hours of paperwork annually and potentially thousands of dollars in penalties. The system is badly broken. To then enforce it on the world by coercion is not a good idea. To then also “block the exits” by slowing down and increasing price for expatriation is the straw that broke the camel’s back.

    “In so many ways I have been so very glad of the Democrats and President Obama, and my heart still supports their goals and many of their methods, but alas the monstrosities of CBT and FBAR and FATCA have to be stopped or very greatly mended.”

  14. @Calgary411 Thanks once again for the feature on the survey. The results from DA were I believe very helpful in highlighting the injustices for US persons abroad. This will probably show a bit of a different angle.

  15. @sad-in-the-uk
    Well said! It is so hard to put the injustice of this tax system into words that seem to actually REACH anybody.

  16. @ Sad-in-the-UK
    What a wonderful, appropriate, articulate reply to Democrats Abroad. Who knows if they will listen, but it was heartwarming to read and, I’m sure, cathartic to write/send. Bravo to you. And, for those who are still USC and might get such a request or chance to answer prodding questions such as this, take the opportunity to speak truth to power.

  18. @Polly

    Be sure to read JC’s Nestmann post above, it covers what the IRS can try to do to Boris Johnson should he dig his heels in:

    “The IRS might also impose an “undisclosed foreign financial asset understatement” penalty of 40% of the unpaid tax and possibly even a civil tax fraud penalty of 75%. The Justice Department could even indict Boris for criminal tax evasion if he “willfully” concealed income from the IRS. Guess what… If Boris didn’t declare this income on his US tax return, it would be a cinch to prove willfulness, since Boris announced his intention not to pay the tax on a nationally broadcast radio show.”

  21. OK, the above post was intended to read:

    For those who’ve never received any benefits as a US citizen, you’ve now heard it from the US ambassador to the UK:

    ‘And if you get the benefits of being an American citizen you pay your fair share in taxes.’

    You’re off the hook for taxes!

    Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2867191/American-citizens-like-Boris-pay-taxes-says-ambassador-Britain-Google-Amazon-doing-wrong.html#ixzz3LSFwYXw6
    Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

  24. Just what does “Enhanced” mean, as in…

    – the CIA’s post-9/11 *Enhanced* Interrogation Practices

    and even

    – the Intergovernmental Agreement for the *Enhanced* Exchange of Tax Information under the Canada-U.S. Tax Convention ??

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