39,000 Tax Cheats Come Forward Under New IRS Programs
So here we are, back to square one again. A new article by AP hack Stephen Ohlemacher dutifully regurgitates stock IRS tax cheat language in reference to OVDI and FATCA and how “some taxpayers try to avoid penalties through a technique the IRS calls “quiet disclosure”. I’ve already posted a couple of comments, but it frankly feels like pissing into a Category 5 hurricane of ignorance. I would urge fellow Brockers to get on there and help out – this one is really bad. It feels like the clock has just been turned back two years or more.
Wow, Whitekat. That was a really excellent post. Hit the nail right on the dang yankeedoodle head.
The Huff is just a breeding ground for left-leaning idiots who worship the ground Odumbass walks on. I don’t think they’re going to listen very much, but the only thing that we can do is attempt to try.
You can’t reason with Liberals at all if your arguments contradict anything the current admin favor or promote. If you do, you are labeled in some way – anything from wing-nut to Tea Partier to racist. It’s impossible to discuss anything with them anymore. Partly because they are frightened about the future and partly because they are tired of defending their man Obama when he follows in the path of Bush II or throws them under one number of the buses that carry the campaign lies he told them.
Given the US’s stance and the growing threat that other countries are starting to look at pursuing expats’ for quick cash, I wonder how long dual citizenship will survive at all. Probably best to get ahead of the curve and give it up now or as soon as one can.
it’s because of the shing brilliance of the dark star Obafart
If foreign accounts and foreign income are so terrible, why do Barack Obama’s income tax records use foreign income exclusions every year, including a huge one for 2008.
Deckard1138 –
Thanks for your nod to Sauve qui peut as motto. I treasure the overtones of individual action amid disaster and ensuing panic. Absence of gender marker brings deep delight. Use of the unamerican language that cripples witless unitary nationalism in Canada pays intentional tribute.
And, more of the same: “Focus on tax-evading US citizens in Ireland”, discussing the application of the FATCA IGA over there:
http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/focus-on-taxevading-us-citizens-in-ireland-29225534.html
Fortunately the commenters there mostly seem too smart to fall for the “journalistic” demagoguery.
Jim Jatras was interviewed again on radio in NYC.
http://nomadcapitalist.com/2013/04/27/nomad-capitalist-radio-apr-27-2013/
wisconsinsteve has it all figured out. According to him/her, anyone who didn’t dot the “i” is automatically a criminal:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/wisconsinsteve/tax-cheats-irs_n_3166264_248588795.html
@swisspinoy
A great deal of logic emanating from the US seems to be circular in nature.
As I’ve written before: Americans living abroad must be rich in order to afford to do all of that filing, and worse, must be guilty of trying to evade taxes because the IRS requires so much reporting of us. The fact that we would renounce as a result just proves our lack of loyalty!
Can we ever win when dealing with this kind of mentality?
But as WhiteKat says, if we can get one person to change their mind, it’s worth it. Plus we get to hone our arguing skills. Do it for sport!
Arguing with stupid people is like duelling with unarmed opponents.
@bubblebustin, wisconsinsteve did later post that he/she became aware that Americans abroad have no representation:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/wisconsinsteve/tax-cheats-irs_n_3166264_248606825.html
So, there is hope! I post because it is entertaining. I enjoy picking on bullies and challenging generalizations or stereotypes. I often get the impression, though, that many individuals oppose us because they don’t know better. Once they learn more, they either run away or become less critical. All Americans oppose citizenship-based taxation but some don’t realize yet why because nobody explained it to them.
The “lack of loyalty” accusation can work both ways. If stateside Americans were loyal to America, then they would quickly fix the system to ensure that Americans abroad would have fewer reasons to renounce! Any relationship is a two-way deal. Both sides must work together and since Americans living abroad have no representation, it is up to stateside Americans to prove their loyalty to America by helping Americans living abroad with residency-based taxation.
@SwissPinoy
I noticed that turnaround with wisconsinsteve as well. You’re right, even if you can only break through to one or two people that’s better than nothing. If you add-in the multiplier effect then that might mean even more people as that person tells a few other people, who tell a few other people etc.
If nothing else it can be entertaining, though some days, like yesterday, it can also just be completely maddening, so that’s why it’s nice to have so many comrades in arms to fight the good fight.
@ banany says, Thanks. I’m glad you liked it. It is amazing how easily words flow when you feel passionately about something.
@YogaGirl,
Yes, ‘Arguing with stupid people is like duelling with unarmed opponents’. I have also noticed that sarcasm is a defense mechanism triggered by an encounter with stupid people.
@bubblebustin, expatami, deckard and others. Thanks for the support in the battlefield. It was a tough one. I think we held our own though.
White Kat, you shouldn’t waste good sarcasm.
The Huff community mods approved another of the many typical comments which they seem to feel are appropriate when directed against Americans (or former Americans) living overseas:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/ThankGodhesgone/tax-cheats-irs_n_3166264_249305224.html
They did remove the following comment since it appears that they deleted the profile, but they left it up for weeks or months until the profile was deleted:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Sol_Robinson/israel-e1-settlement-plan_n_2243865_211829390.html
But this one is still up since they didn’t delete the profile:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/MelissaGoldman/israeli-settlement-building-east-jerusalem_n_2236638_211420556.html
Unfortunately, I didn’t take note of the many more insults which they approved, nor did I take note of most of the many harmless comments expressed by me which they deleted, probably because they were too polite to be acceptable. Yet, I did make note of this one which was deleted:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/05/israel-e1-settlement-plan_n_2243865.html
Gotta love huff post and its censorship concept. It shares so much similarity with many other American forums.
Oh, it appears that Huff’s beloved insult still hasn’t been removed yet after being reported. It was posted in response to this post of mine:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/ExpatAmi/israel-e1-settlement-plan_n_2243865_211815738.html
Huff’s moderation-approved comment rule violation:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Sol_Robinson/israel-e1-settlement-plan_n_2243865_211829390.html
The Huff post comment policy:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/faq/#moderation
It is not surprising that Huff post has a comment policy which it ignores while deleting posts which don’t violate its policy.