I spoke with Atossa Abrahamian of Reuters regarding my case. Her article is now available online, and I am pleased with her general tone; she treats us favorably and does not accuse us of being tax cheats, like so many other journalists have done.
I spoke with Atossa Abrahamian of Reuters regarding my case. Her article is now available online, and I am pleased with her general tone; she treats us favorably and does not accuse us of being tax cheats, like so many other journalists have done.
I passed word to Atossa. I hope that is a good thing for her.
@Petros
I emailed Atossa to thank her for her well researched and thoughtful article that would hopefully inform Americans living in the United States about the draconian laws passed by their politicians. I had an instant reply from her. There should be more journalists like her.
So thank you Petros for continuing to ‘fight the battle’. I hope you do frame the CLN. Now we need one of us, who ‘relinquished’ decades ago to receive their CLN.
Atossa’s article is extremely well written and it’s being picked up by alot of different news organizations.
Atossa’s article is now morphing into new articles. From Reason.com:
http://reason.com/blog/2012/04/17/uncle-sam-wants-you-so-badly-that-the-fe
Expat journalists are definitely the key to spreading the word about the plight of American expats.
The silent persecution can’t be kept under wraps forever.
I like the “war on women” who are married to foreigners angle in the article.
There’s also a war on men married to foreigners but nobody seems to care about men these days.
Its now on Business Insider:
http://www.businessinsider.com/taxes-force-americans-to-renounce-citizenship-2012-4
@ omg That’s because we fight back. 🙂
@ Petros. Ha! I think I’ll go hide under my rock now.
This IRS war on women concept would be great if it helped to spread the word about all the nasty things the IRS is doing to expats.
Now also at the National Post: http://business.financialpost.com/2012/04/17/tax-rules-for-americans-abroad-driving-some-to-renounce-citizenship/
@all- It seems that this one article is getting more international coverage than any other that has been written so far.
@All, just this instant as I walked my TV tuned to Fox News Stuart Barney was announcing breaking news on the surge of Americans living abroad who are renouncing their US citizenship because of US tax laws! Is the snowball starting to roll down the mountside? Let’s hope that it is, and that it will come crashing into Congress in Washington. Keep pouring it on by every means possible.
@recalcitrantexpat – I’m glad it’s this article that is getting all the coverage because it’s the most sympathetic to expats. It’s also the most well researched and intelligent article I’ve seen on the subject.
@Roger – that’s great news, @all, comments can be posted on the national post story
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/04/why-the-irs-wants-the-right-to-seize-your-passport/255940/
Well Dan, the Drudge Report is a place I never frequent, but I guess you take publicity where ever you get it… This story is spreading… You never know what one will finally have the right hook to go viral. Maybe this is the one! We shall see.
And as the story spreads, the headlines totally mis-characterize the story… as I have come to expect with the media…
https://twitter.com/#!/FBAR_Compliant/status/192344416848052227
@marvinvanhorn- the U.S. media and the average American citizen is comfortable with only one kind of narrative, which is that only tax cheats and traitors leave America. We can never hope for a fair trial in the States. Unfortunately we don’t have the option of having a change of venue.
It all goes to show how giving up U.S. citizenship is the only viable route to personal and economic freedom. The fact that we are opting to live in countries that have higher taxes than U.S. does, is completely ignored by the politicians.
And now UK’s Daily Mail online. Don’t know if it’ll be in the print version but still pretty mainstream nevertheless. The article’s headline unfortunately implies tax avoidance rather than complexity and intrusiveness, but the body gives a more nuanced and full view.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2131225/Record-number-American-citizens-renouncing-citizenship-avoid-paying-taxes.html
@watcher…
thanks for the link.
It is the game they all play. Headline to catch attention, not to convey truth or even the story being told in the article. Some worse than others, and Murdoch owned franchises are terrible!
The Daily Paul picked it up as well, and with some great comments. Gotta love those Libertarians.
http://www.dailypaul.com/227063/taxes-cause-more-americans-to-renounce-citizenship
@Watcher…
I also see that the story comes with the column of Femail Today. Are they targeting me with pictures of bare bums, or do they think this article will only resonant for males if there is some accompanying female flesh? Geeeze
Murdoch I hope your mother is proud!
@recalcitrantexpat
‘We can never hope for a fair trial in the States.’ Of course, we can’t – this just speaks the inward looking, narcissistic attitude of Americans. Anyone who would dare to leave must be doing it for nefarious reasons – ergo, they must be tax cheats.
@justme- have you noticed that all of the publications which employ a title that gives a very unflattering picture of U.S. expats are referring to the same Reuter’s article that makes no such accusations?
There is definitely a conspriacy against us that is imbedded in the American psyche.
@tiger- naricissism indeed. Blind patriotism has always been associated with dictatorial societies. America thinks that it can be the exception to the rule but one day it will wake up to find that it was so terribly wrong.
@recalcitrantexpat: Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.
I talked with a credit union recently about FBARs and FATCA and the impact it is having on individuals trying to live a normal life, and save – amidst all the IRS pitfalls and incomprehensible forms, unpredictable deadlines, and barriers to ‘compliance’ and reporting etc. (re TFSAs, RDSPs, etc). They are going to pass on the comments.