Yes, I know this is a duplicate call of a previous posting on IBS by Shadow Raider. But thought I would update and draw attention to this from the ACA website:
Submitting Comments on Tax Reform
Please support ACA’s residence-based taxation (RBT) proposal by submitting comments to the Ways and Means Committee.
The Ways and Means Committee, is actively developing a comprehensive tax reform proposal. Chairman Camp and Ranking Member Levin have created 11 bi-partisan tax reform working groups. They have called on stakeholders and professionals to submit tax reform proposals and suggestions – before April 15, 2013.
You can make your voice heard by writing to the Ways & Means Committees and sending submissions to: tax.reform@mail.house.gov (see submission details from Ways & Means below)
ACA has submitted its comments in support of its proposal Residency-based taxation (RBT) . The ACA proposal would eliminate the serious difficulties that Americans overseas face due to the toxic combination of citizenship-based taxation, FBAR filing requirements and FATCA legislation. Americans abroad would be taxed by the US the same way they tax non-resident aliens – essentially through withholding taxes on US source income revenue such as dividends, rents, royalties, etc. Americans abroad would once again have access to foreign financial institutions and would not be subject to filing the 1040 and FBAR or FATCA reporting.
You may send your own suggestions and thoughts for tax reform or you may use a pre-formatted letter that supports the ACA position on taxation (see attached) and also allows you to include personal comments or insert a testimonial (see our letter here).
Details for the Submission of Written Comments to the Tax Reform Working Groups
1. Any person(s) and/or organization(s) wishing to submit comments can emailtax.reform@mail.house.gov.
2. In the subject line of the email, please indicate “Comments: (name of) Tax Reform Working Group” (note: be sure to specify the name of the working group in the subject line – e.g., Energy Tax Reform Working Group).
3. Attach your submission as a Word document.
4. In addition to the Word document attachment, please include in the body of the email a contact name, physical address, phone number and email address.
5. For questions, or if you encounter technical problems, please call (202) 225-3625 or (202) 225-1721
On behalf of all Americans abroad, thank you for your support for RBT. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to have your say in D.C.
(March 2013)
Additional Note from Just Me:
I strongly urge all of us who have been so active in our vocal and blogging opposition to FATCA to use this opportunity to also write to this commission to call for the Repeal of FATCA as part of any reform effort.
This may be in the category of stating the obvious, but while we have to make our point strongly, it needs to be in such a way so it does not insult those reading it or they will reject it.
I hate to admit it, but you have to remember your audience when talking to these Congressional House Representatives. You have to come across as a credible and thoughtful concerned citizen, or ex-citizen as the case may be. It is better not to be too hyperbolic, which means, I will not call it the FATCA FATWA, Offshore Jihad, WOOTE (War On Offshore Tax Evasion) or refer to it as ‘Carpet Bombing the Globe’ in my submission! LOL Even I will be a little more restrained and PC, as they say.
I understand that this is NOT something that all who read and comment here will care to do. I get that. But for those of us who can, and or so inclined, we should accept this open invitation for comments.
In the opinion of many who have been lobbying Congress for many years, this submission is a once in a lifetime opportunity. My understanding of the efforts on the Hill in the February Over Seas Week, the group of sister organizations, ACA, AARO and FAWCO, did get strong indications that many in Congress are anxious and receptive to real tax reform, and not just some more exemptions or loopholes on the margins.
Everything I read, tells me that Chairman of House Ways and Means, Representative David Camp is serious in wanting to get a real reform effort out this year. H.R.1 designation is being saved for this effort. We hope that he has some bi-partisan partners in the Senate. They already have their own draft and are just waiting for Camp to come forth first, as required in the law.
Bottomline, partisan politics aside, they all know that the tax code is a total mess, and frankly a creation of their own making. It has been said, and more cynically true than we may want to admit, the tax code exists as a funding mechanism for politicians’ reelection. It will be very hard for them to vote against special interest lobbying and the restructuring of special provisions which has helped fund their campaigns for years.
However, the stars may be aligning just right, and there is a possibility for big changes, even a historic one. Dropping FATCA would NOT even be that big of a change in the context of revisions being envisioned. Pulling the plug on this not fully functioning fiasco shouldn’t be all that hard to do. So far it has only generated costs and created chaos for Americans and financial institutions overseas. It is draining Treasury and IRS resources that in this time of sequester. Time and energy could be better spent shoring up defenses against homeland tax evasion and identity theft. That would have a higher ROI than this massive ideological mission for a global GATCA which has very little revenue return for the effort while threatening great harm to the world’s economy.
Give it a shot!
Excellent interview! Thank you ACA!
Here here!
There is a new submission 2 for the international working Group, where someone has calculated that it takes 1324 hrs to be tax compliant for a family man with particular characteristics. If he does not succeed to put in those hours, his fine is $11,190,000
I wish there were a safe way to submit my family’s US tax compliance situation for this US task force for tax reform. To do so would be putting my developmentally-delayed son in danger.
I am completely OK with submitting information to my government, Canada, and will continue to do so. But, no way would I ever trust that information to the US government.
Great job of clearly presenting the issue in a factual, easy for homelanders to understand way! Hope they succeed!
I too would be nervous to give my real name, I’m just being honest. As I wound up owing substantial amounts, I fear the government might assume I left to avoid taxes. Would have been different if I owed nothing or had no need to ever revisit the USA.
I need to know I can continue to visit my parents over there so am dreading any possibility, however remote, of having the Reed Amendment used against me; it makes me wary ofopenly speaking out directly to the U.S. ggovernment.
@monalisa1776
It would strike me as reprehensible to be punished like that simply for renouncing, whether you have money or not. It seems so petty and vindictive.
This is my response to the US government.
@The_Animal
So much for all that hope and change, huh?
That’s Eh or Aye, mjh:
(pron.: /ˈeɪ/ or /ˈɛ/) is a spoken interjection in English that is similar in meaning to “Excuse me,” “Please repeat that” or “huh?” It is also commonly used as a question tag, i.e., method for inciting a reply, as in “It’s nice here, eh?” In North America, it is most commonly associated with Canada and Canadian English.
Thanks to whoever consolidated my post. For the future what is the code for images? I have a boatload of ’em.
Hi, Animal,
img class=”alignnone” alt=”” src=”https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/482323_10151529989190295_1922892305_n.jpg” width=”400″ height=”400″ / – with ‘inverted v’s (can’t even find those on my keyboard) on either side of that — or it would show as the image once again. Petros just gave me a lesson in doing a work-around in fixing some links in a Comment for Just Me. I have very little (none!) technical computer ability, but would be glad to help you anytime to help make your images work. I once tried to get your “eagle” image to load — but it didn’t work. I could probably do that now.
Thanks, Calgary 411. I posted up that image up on my FB and it got taken down three times. Finally got so fed up…that I posted this:
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/598866_10151530078105295_861869331_n.jpg <– This…told the FB censors off.
thanks @The Animal, I really enjoyed the images and the message!
so which sacred Facebook creed did they pretend that the image conflict with?
Since they are so known for their ethics.
Guess it was just business.
@MJH, please try to appreciate how vulnerable I still feel. If renunciations go exponentially higher, who’s to say the U.S. government might start punishing people fleeing to deter others? THE homelanders are going to be outraged and politicians will want to respond to their constituents accordingly. ‘You’re either for us or against us’. One thing that America cannot handle well is wounded pride.
I never mentioned this but I already had two things happen that could have resulted in my not renouncing had I not been assertive. They had already arranged a date but then they emailed me saying the renunciation date had been pushed back all the way to October! Thankfully, I asked if there hadn’t been a mistake as the other date had already been agreed; thankfully, they said they’d made a mistake and restored the earlier date.
And when I arrived at the embassy, they couldn’t find my name on the appointment list. I practically panicked but after making some phone calls, they realised they accidentally left my name off the list. I could imagine that some would have assumed that their appointment had been canceled because I suppose they could be a law into themselves if they wanted; it was all probably a coincidence but who’s to say they might start becoming awkward in the future to put people off?
I have a general knowledge question. To the people who are afraid of what might happen to them if the US refuses their renounciations or assesses them a really large unfair tax bill (re FBAR). What is it exactly that the IRS can do to you if you are abroad and especially if you are a citizen of a foreign country. Sure they can put in a lien on your property but and maybe arrest you at the border, but thats it right? If you are one of the people who are accidental americans and you have no ties to america, no assets in america…it probably would never affect you.
MonaLisa. Exactly. I have come to realize that there is nothing to fear. They have 10s of thousands of federal civil servants who Owe billions. They can’t collect. They ain’t going after a minnow in the UK except with a nasty letter or 2.
@monalisa1776
I really can’t speak for others here but I also feel vulnerable, thanks to the actions of the US government, simply because I don’t know how they’re going to act towards me. I’m thinking that I could very well be punished somehow by the time I’m ready to relinquish, or even denied the right to relinquish. I don’t even have much to lose, but I’ve already lost more than I even know I had, things that aren’t even tangible, and that is fueling in me a deep seated sense of bitterness, and resentment towards anything American. I’m not even going to bring up how this has negatively affected my marriage, and I’ve been effectively estranged from my family that is still stateside, even though most of them are less than an hour away. Then there is the strong feeling of alienation from the homeland itself, and I’ve also heard that diatribe of ‘either you’re for us or against us’ back when they’re looking for excuses to go into Iraq. I’m still trying to figure out whether America died that day on 9/11, or if it was the illusion of America that died on that day, but what I do know is that the post 9/11 America has stolen our freedoms in the homeland a piece at a time, and they’re threatening to do that to us no matter where we’re at in the world.
I am literally to the point where becoming stateless is looking better than waiting to become Canadian, but I also know that even if I were to renounce right now, I’ll still have to live with the scars of alienation and betrayal for the rest of my life. Meanwhile, there are also times where I’ve felt that it would be easier to just give up and return to the US, and accept the chains around my neck. But then, I would truly have to forsake my own soul in order to do that, and what’s in it for me to give them the satisfaction after all the shitting on that I’ve been through?
@Kalc and @K G, I agree that I should be fine but you have to remember that some of us still have ties to the U.S. My family understood the practical reasons why I chose to renounce but would be furious if my decision meant I was barred from ever revisiting. And if I weren’t tax compliant, could lose most of any U.S.-sourced inheritance in penalties or fines. There’s also no guarantee that future laws may eventually be passed that might impose a punishment tax on inheritances from U.S. citizens to renunciants. I also needed to become fully compliant so I’m not risking arrest at the border.
But agree that anyone without any need to ever cross the border or without any U.S.-based assets would probably be quite safe.
KG08. Perfect. They can’t do sweet fanny Adams.
Yes, if you never have any need to ever go back.
@MJH, I hear you!!!
It must be a continuing problem for that image to have been made. How fast was that removed?
My wife, monalisa, has pretty much come to the sad conclusion that unless my mother-in-law decides that she is going to up and leave the United States to come up to live in Canada, the time at the airport back in July of 2000 in Shreveport, Louisiana, would be the last time that she ever lays eyes on her mother. It isn’t the actions of the expats that should be cause for worry, the blame should be laid directly in the hands of the extra-territorial grasping, money hungry United States government.
My wife is now essentially cut off, for the rest of her life, from her American siblings (her half-brother) and her cousins and her mother, thanks to the machinations of the US government, and that is where I place the blame for all this BS. My wife will not even think of going down to take care of any personal effects or funeral procedures should my mother-in-law pass away. With the paranoid delusional behavior of the US government, she does not want to leave our children potentially without a mother because some over-zealous border guard decides to imprison her for her potential FBAR fines.
The old adage of the Civil War: Brother against brother, family against family – sadly applies here. The question that one has to ask oneself is: Is my freedom more important than my family? Sad that we have to make that choice.
calgary411, it was removed inside of 3 minutes by FB censors. I guess a bunch of “liberals” got their panties in a bunch.