Author Archives: USCitizenAbroad

Interesting article in the Globe:

From the jungles of Papua New Guinea to the deserts of Libya, some of the wildest and most dangerous corners of the world have one thing in common these days: Chinese workers.

They are the front-line soldiers in China’s new commercial empire. But as Beijing’s global investment rises dramatically, reaching about $60-billion today, its foreign workers …

Although this is not a direct analogy, it is clear that China treats its foreign citizens much better than the U.S. treats its foreign citizens. Every country except the U.S. views its citizens abroad as ambassadors. This is one more reason why the U.S. is on the decline.

This topic is such a source of anger and high anxiety that I wanted to comment on this in a separate post.

I don’t believe it is possible (without the individual facts) as to whether the RRSP (although in terms of fairness no retirement plan should be included) to treat this as a “one size fits all question”. I expressed my thoughts on this before in a post called “Canadian RRSPs and the OVDI Penalty Base“.

Here is how I think the arguments about RRSPs should be made: Continue reading →

Penalty abatement, reasonable cause, and the facts that support reasonable cause

The Isaac Brock is a wonderful forum for discussion. It is also a wonderful resource. A resource that will alert you to issues that may be relevant to your compliance. Some readers are clearly grappling with the best way to come into compliance . This involves tax or  information returns or both. The Isaac Brock Society has been fortunate to have had contributions from two lawyers: Roy Berg in Alberta and Steven Mopsick in California. Their thoughts and contributions have been greatly appreciated.

In the December 2011 FS the IRS made it clear that penalties could be abated if the taxpayer were able to show “reasonable cause”. Continue reading →

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:

Continue reading →

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.

Renouncing U.S. Citizenship as Self Defense – The Life Of A U.S. Citizen Living in Canada Continue reading →

Yes, it’s hard to believe. For a link to the U.N. resolution confirming this check out:

https://twitter.com/#!/FBAR_Compliant/status/164084862381334528

The above tweet has a link to the actual U.N. resolution. Here is some commentary that I received on this issue:

Continue reading →

Well, the primary issue they have is that they don’t live in the United States. This makes them particularly deserving of punishment. And of course, they have no say in the political process. Easy game and low hanging fruit.

https://twitter.com/#!/renounceus/status/164032677903745024

A recent article in the Boston Globe (a response to the Romney tax disclosures) notes that:

“In fact, nearly half of  US taxpayers will probably pay no taxes at all for 2011, including 24,000 in the top 1 percent of incomes, according to the Tax Policy Center, a think tank in Washington. Some low-income families even get back more than they pay because of the Earned Income Tax Credit and other programs.” Continue reading →

A comment on Update on the IRS FS for U.S. and Dual Citizens Living Outside The United States