Since Arrow has been having fun at the Vancouver Sun, with his “What if” scenario of Kenya adopting the U.S. citizenship taxation regime, why stop there?  Roger Conklin suggests that maybe we could get Romney’s campaign attention on a similar issue that may relate to him.  Since Mitt’s father George was born in Mexico where he apparently obtained Mexican Citizenship, he then passed on his Mexican citizenship to Romney automatically when Romney was born in America. (see note below)  What opportunity does this provide us for getting more attention on the U.S.citizenship taxation issue?  Could we not create other “What if” stories centered around Romney just  like that was published at the Vancouver Sun?

Two articles at the beginning of the year got Roger thinking, and investigating, and he asked that I share them as a post on his behalf.

Mitt Romney’s Mexican Roots; His Father Was Born In Mexico, Could Choose Dual Citizenship

Mitt Romney’s Mexican Roots: GOP Frontrunner A Potential Mexican Citizen?

Roger writes:

I have checked the Mexican Nationality law and the facts are clear on how citizenship is passed to a son.  Under Mexico ’s citizenship laws, Romney may be considered a dual-US Mexican citizen. Perhaps this could be useful in bringing this citizenship-based taxation monster to his attention in pressing him for a commitment on the issue.

His father was born in Mexico to U.S.citizen parents and may have been considered a Mexican.  Since Mitt was born in the U.S. to a father with possible Mexican citizenship, he could also a Mexican citizen by birth if these reports are true.  In this respect, Mexican citizenship laws treat persons born to a Mexican parent outside of Mexico in almost the same way as U.S. citizens treat persons born to an American parent outside of their U.S. Mexican law imposes no minimum residency requirements on Mexicans parenting a child born outside of Mexico .

Until fairly recently, Mexican law provided that a child born to a Mexican father outside of Mexico was Mexican from birth, but not a child born of a Mexican mother. The most recent version of Mexico ’s nationality law removes that distinction so that if either parent is Mexican, the child has Mexican citizenship. (Before that time there was no way for a person born outside of Mexico to a Mexican mother to ever acquire Mexican citizenship.)

But since Mitt’s father George was born in Mexico, and if Mexico therefore considered him a Mexican citizen, he passed on his Mexican citizenship to Romney automatically. His father George came to the U.S. when his parents, who never gave up their U.S. citizenship or become Mexican citizens, returned to the U.S. As far as I know Mitt has never requested of the Mexican government that he be recognized as a Mexican citizen, but that is a mere formality since he would have automatically had Mexican citizenship from the moment of birth in the U.S. With proof of his father’s Mexican birth he could walk into a Mexican consulate any where in the world, and they would issue him a Mexican passport.

These being the facts, as we understand them, (cognizant of the possibility that this is just the liberal equivalent of the Obama birther controversies) how can we exploit the issue for greater visibility of the U.S. Citizen taxation issue?  Just the uncertainty associated with how Citizenship is bestowed shows the absurdity of a taxation system based upon it.

When you think about it, Mexico could really have a financial bonanza on their hands, if they just claim him now as their own, even if it takes some retroactive legislation.  The U.S. provides some good examples to follow for our amigos down south.  Maybe someone in the Cámara de Senadores del H. Congreso de la Unión could propose a citizenship taxation program to collect some easy money from accidental Mexicans with a net worth more than, oh let’s just use a meaningfully arbitrary number of say, $2 million?  🙂

Note:  Roger uses qualifiers throughout this post, as there maybe some dispute on this issue as reported in a CNN report which says…  

Miles Park Romney never became a Mexican citizen, and neither did his son, Gaskell, or grandson, George. They were all denied Mexican citizenship because statutes on the books in Mexico denied that right to American settlers and their offspring.  

In Roger’s research, never has anyone referred to any specific Mexican legislation that barred children born in Mexico to American “settlers” from Mexican citizenship. George was born in Mexico, and until someone produces the specifics of Mexican law that would have barred him or anyone else born in Mexico from Mexican citizenship Roger put zeros credence in that statement, but in fairness wanted it referenced here.