Category Archives: Issues regarding US persons abroad

And there is appears to be some activity with the US. As shown at the links below Brian Ernewein who is the General Director of the Tax Policy Branch at Finance Canada traveled to the US twice over the summer once in June and once in August.

http://www.fin.gc.ca/expenses-frais/reports-rapports-eng.asp?eventID=5262&empID=209&year=2012&q=3&empType=4&r=t

http://www.fin.gc.ca/expenses-frais/reports-rapports-eng.asp?eventID=5332&empID=209&year=2012&q=3&empType=4&r=t

The first meeting was with generic US Government officials(which I take to include both Treasury and IRS and possibly FINCEN) and the second was with US Treasury Staff. About a week after Ernewein’s June meeting the new expat super minnow program was announced. I don’t know whether or nor this was a coincidence. Ernewein also June went to a big OECD conference in Paris as did one of the Assistant Commissioner’s at CRA. I will try to find a picture or video of Ernewein so you can put a picture to the name. I will note while he is high up he is not at the level of Deputy Minister or Assistant Deputy Minister which are filled by Michael Horgan and Louise Levonian respectively. Links below:

http://www.fin.gc.ca/comment/adm-2-eng.asp

http://www.fin.gc.ca/comment/dm-eng.asp

My personal opinion is truly serious negotiations need to involve either Levonian or Michael Horgan. By definition Brian Ernewein I doubt met anyone higher than Manal Corwin, Emily McMahon, Michael Plowgian etc.

READERS WHO LIVE IN BRITISH COLUMBIA, PLEASE TAKE NOTE OF THIS.

This piece of information is contributed through a person wishing to maintain one-remove anonymity (no direct posting to Brock). I have received this information third-hand, but from a source I consider very reliable. (So this is at least two-remove posting. I haven’t personally spoken with the individual reporting this conversation with a Vancouver consulate official or employee.

In a telephone conversation with the Vancouver consulate in August 2012, a person at the consulate said that there is deliberate “batching” in the processing of renunciations. When the current batch is completed, priority will be given to other – presumably deferred – tasks for an unspecified period of time. (This perspective may help to explain the recent considerable lengthening of wait for first appointment in Vancouver.)

My advice to anyone in BC is, if it’s at all feasible and you want to get a CLN, go to Calgary or maybe Toronto, not Vancouver. They aren’t doing this, as far as we know, and certainly the appointment timings and CLN release information, starkly contrasted with what is going on in Vancouver, supports that assumption.

The information isn’t clear on whether this batching occurs with relinquishments as well as renunciations, but as Vancouver (unlike the rest of the planet except the Ottawa embassy) doesn’t seem to make any procedural distinctions in terms of processing the two very different forms of CLN, I suspect they probably also are batching relinquishments.

So, I would assume that if you go to Vancouver consulate, your application for either type of CLN could sit in a black hole for a rather long time. Bear that in mind when planning your course of action. I believe if you’ve already made a first appointment or even have had that first meeting, you can still proceed with your process at another consulate, but I don’t know whether that might adversely affect processing in Washington. It shouldn’t, and I do know one person who got the application switched from the embassy to a consulate, but that person hasn’t received the CLN yet so we don’t know for certain that it has no adverse consequences.

http://www.bcbusinessonline.ca/personal-finance/us-tax-laws-long-arm-uncle-sam

One thing that continually shocks me is just how many people are effected by the US’ Citizenship Based Taxation of all political stripes Doug Ford, David Alward, Elizabeth May, former Toronto Mayor David Miller, and now the children of long time and prominent Quebec Seperatist leader and founder of the Bloc Quebecois Lucien Bouchard. Here is wikipedia:

Bouchard separated from his second wife^[8][9], Audrey Best (1960–2011), a Côte d’Azur-born California-reared airline stewardess, who later became a lawyer, whom he met on an international flight.^[10] She was the daughter of James Best, a U.S. Navy officer, and his French wife, Marie-Josée Massay.

Bouchard is the father of two sons with Best, Alexandre and Simon, who hold dual Canadian-United States citizenship. Best held dual United States-France citizenship. She died on January 25, 2011, aged 50, from breast cancer.

I am curious what Bouchard thinks about current Bloc Quebecois leader Danielle Paille strong support of FATCA to root out “tax cheats” and other “scum.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucien_Bouchard

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Paill%C3%A9

Other Canadians can probably describe to our non Canadian readers who Lucien Bouchard was. Sometimes something called Meech Lake is mentioned here all I will say is Bouchard was an a key player in it.

ACA posted this on this on Facebook today: ‘She is looking for Americans who have encountered banking and financial issues/problems (account closures, refusals of service, etc.) as a result of FATCA for an upcoming article. If you would like to participate please get in touch with Anita at:
Anita.Greil@dowjones.com
phone: 41 43 443 8044
cell: 41 79 649 2039′

Survey results show that the majority of American expat polled do not feel fairly represented by the US Government. Implications of the dissatisfaction may play a role in the upcoming elections as an estimated 6 million US citizens currently living overseas cast their votes in the hopes of having their concerns and needs addressed.

For years, we’ve been hearing from our customers a mounting swell of frustration and dissatisfaction with the government as it relates to addressing their concerns, particularly when it comes to their expat tax preparation.

New York, NY (PRWEB) October 04, 2012

New survey results show that more than 72% of U.S. expatriates polled do not feel fairly represented by the U.S. Government. The survey also found that, of those polled, 74% were either prepared or planning to vote. Conducted by Greenback Expat Tax Services, which specializes exclusively on American expat tax services, the results represent a growing dissatisfaction among Americans living overseas with the lack of support and attention paid to their unique needs.

“We’re not surprised by our survey’s results,” said David McKeegan, Greenback Expat Tax Services President. For years, we’ve been hearing from our customers a mounting swell of frustration and dissatisfaction with the government as it relates to addressing their concerns, particularly when it comes to their expat tax preparation.”…

Read more

Hi, everyone I have been continuing to think about different ways to get this issued covered in the Canadian media. One outlet I keep on coming across is trying to get Steve Paikin on TVO to do a show on FATCA and US Citizenship based taxation in Canada. Paikin’s show tends to cover a lot of issues that don’t get covered anywhere else in the Canadian or US media and is willing to cover issues effected either Canada or the US or both. My thoughts on prospective guests which I might suggest to the producers include Phil Hodgen, Jackie Bugnion, Marylouise Serrato from the “US” and from Canada “Blaze” of Maple Sandbox fame who has a TV background,  Arthur Cockfield, someone from the CBA either Maura Drew-Lytle or Darren Hannah, and possibly either a Conservative or NDP MP(Craig Scott, Denise Savoie, Megan Leslie etc). At this time for personal reasons I cannot appear if it ever got to that point although I have to say it would be a dream come true for me to make a TV appearance.

Here is the link to the staff of the show. If any Brockers have a connection to any of these people let me know.

http://theagenda.tvo.org/about

If I don’t hear anything in a couple of days I am going to make my own approach to the producers and hopefully others can reach out and vouch for what I tell them. Additionally suggestions on guests are welcome. I want to give them a good list of people they can reach out and contact who are willing to go on TV.

http://www.680news.com/news/national/article/407898–whether-it-s-obama-or-romney-economy-key-to-canada-in-u-s-election-envoy

The single most important thing the United States can do for Canada is improve its ailing economy, says the U.S. ambassador to Canada.

Envoy David Jacobson says Wednesday’s first presidential debate will play in key role in determining whether President Barack Obama or his Republican challenger Mitt Romney get to tackle that job next year.

I have often said that the single most important thing the United States can do for Canada is to get our economy back on track,” he added.

“If we get our economy back on track, it has enormous positive implications for Canada.”

Jacobson emphasized he was speaking as the U.S. ambassador to all Americans, even though he is a Democrat who was part of Obama’s historic 2008 election team. He was the chief of Obama’s appointments office for the first nine months of 2009 before he took up his post in Ottawa, three years ago this week.