Yearly Archives: 2012

I wanted to make this a separate post so that it doesn’t get lost in the long line of comments.”

First, thanks to Mr. Mopsick for willing to post on this blog. He is the only lawyer (as far as I know) who has written complete posts. I thank him for sharing his perspectives. After reading the comments: it is worth remembering that his central message is that he is willing to talk to people – everybody has a different situation. Furthermore, the members of the Isaac Brock Society have proven that they are very knowledgeable about this issue and are perfectly capable of evaluating the value (or not) of specific legal advice.

But, the main purpose of this post is as follows:

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30-yr IRS Vet offers his advice about the 2012 27.5% Overseas Voluntary Disclosure program.

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When both the United States and Canada leave their dual citizens to wallow in uncertainties, those hapless fish/fowl are left to grasp at protruding roots that encircle the morass of quicksand.

Most often, those handholds are not data. If good data could be had, the atrocities of the situation would be too evident.

In absence of data, anecdote becomes all that is left to latch onto. Here are three, newly acquired this week.

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The Taxpayer Advocate Service posted a link on their Twitter feed asking for people to offer suggestions on how to reform the US tax system. Maybe everyone should send them some concerns they have? You won’t receive a response but the page says “Your suggestions are compiled and reviewed by the National Taxpayer Advocate.” It certainly wouldn’t hurt to let them know what we all think of FATCA and FBARs, and it is anonymous. I’ve already put in my two cents. Hope you all will too!

http://www.taxpayeradvocate.irs.gov/Home/Contact-Us

Cross posted from RenounceUScitizenship (where there is an updated version)

Learn why many  U.S. citizens living outside the United States view the renunciation of U.S. citizenship as the only patriotic option.

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I posted this a couple of days ago on the Flophouse blog after reading a few too many comments about “evil tax evaders living it up on the Riviera” and then promptly moved on to other things. It was then shared on Reddit by a fellow blogger here in France, Overseas Exile (good blog, great guy and he writes about FATCA) and it caused a mild stir. Some of the comments were quite encouraging. Others were less so. So, here it is. Just my experience. Curtis stopped by and explained why he shared it on Reddit, “I really appreciated your original post because honestly, most folks really don’t know what it’s like to be outside the US. In fact, I suspect that many Americans would be surprised to find out that we get up, go to work, go home, eat dinner and go to bed just like they do — we just do it in a different country.”

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