Will the next US IRS Commissioner have expertise in US Citizenship-Based Taxation as it affects US Persons Abroad? Will he heed Nina Olson’s suggestions?

11 thoughts on “Will the next US IRS Commissioner have expertise in US Citizenship-Based Taxation as it affects US Persons Abroad? Will he heed Nina Olson’s suggestions?”

1. I hope the new 74 years old IRS commissioner lived few years outside the USA to grasp the apparently complex concept that expats and dual citizens have no choice but to have bank accounts for survival in the countries they have been living for many decades (but not for money-laundering, tax-evasion or terrorist activities for which the FBAR is intended and under such law the accounts are penalized, even if their country of residence have higher taxes than the USA, owe no taxes to the IRS or not have and income or even visited the USA for decades to engage in activities such as money-laundering).

2. He doesn’t seem to have any tax experience at all so I can’t imagine he would know beano about the effects of US citizenship taxation of Americans abroad. Probably not very helpful. However, one could hope that he might respond to the issues of unfairness regarding FAQ35, etc.

3. wonder if he would ever read the taxpayer advocate reports. or would ACKNOWLEDGE that he had read them

4. Oh how I wish Jay Leno had asked Obama about citizen based taxation and FATCA and US persecution of US Persons living overseas….in my dreams I know….

5. IRS gets help from DEA and NSA to collect data

   http://rt.com/usa/dea-nsa-irs-snowden-216/

6. Was this the guy that was in charge when Freddie Mac went under? If so, I don’t think much of his turnaround expertise.

7. These types of appointments have about as much to do with skill and expertise as the ambassador appointments. It’s all about who is is owed what.

   Guy probably can’t retire (or doesn’t want to) but they needed to shuffle him b/c Freddie and Fannie are soon to be history.

   He is a figurehead. Expect nothing but what he is told to do or so by whoever is really in charge.

8. @yogagirl,
   re; “…He is a figurehead. Expect nothing but what he is told to do or so by whoever is really in charge….”

   And I would really like to know who that is.

9. There have been so many commissioners in the past year that it will take a while for him to do anything, even if he does. Although this site is mainly about expats, let’s not forget immigrants to the US, or those in the US with family abroad, who have legitimate reasons for having foreign accounts.

10. Further to WatACroq,

    New York Times: N.S.A. Said to Search Content of Messages to and From U.S.

    The N.S.A. is not just intercepting the communications of Americans who are in direct contact with foreigners targeted overseas, a practice that government officials have openly acknowledged. It is also casting a far wider net for people who cite information linked to those foreigners, like a little used e-mail address, according to a senior intelligence official.

    While it has long been known that the agency conducts extensive computer searches of data it vacuums up overseas, that it is systematically searching — without warrants — through the contents of Americans’ communications that cross the border reveals more about the scale of its secret operations.
    …
    Government officials say the cross-border surveillance was authorized by a 2008 law, the FISA Amendments Act, in which Congress approved eavesdropping on domestic soil without warrants as long as the “target” was a noncitizen abroad. Voice communications are not included in that surveillance, the senior official said.

    How do they define us?

11. This latest IRS Commissioner – Koskinen, will deeply understand the plight of large US corporations, and their need to keep their wealth offshore. His wealth is tied up with their health. He feels their pain.

    Doesn’t look like he’d recognize a minnow or krill abroad if he found one in his soup.

    http://www.accountingtoday.com/news/Obama-Choice-Run-IRS-Reports-Wealth-68002-1.html
    ‘Obama’s Choice to Run IRS Reports Up to $27.4 Million Wealth’
    “Washington, D.C. (September 10, 2013)

    By Richard Rubin

    Bloomberg

    (Bloomberg) John Koskinen, nominated to become the next Internal Revenue Service commissioner, has a net worth between $7.1 million and $27.4 million, according to a financial disclosure released by the Obama administration….”….

    “…Among Koskinen’s stock holdings are many of the largest U.S. companies that are subject to audit by the IRS, including Apple Inc., Chevron Corp. and Google Inc….”