Category Archives: Issues regarding US persons abroad

We have another important opportunity to make our voices heard. My post on this from a week ago might need a reminder. Please click on the link to bring up the earlier post and get those letters, tweets and emails flooding in to the “Big Six”. As somebody recently commented, “We have to be in it to win it.”

“Republican hopes for revamping the tax code rest, for now, in the hands of six men.” So says author Richard Rubin in a recent Wall Street Journal article (“GOP Tax Overhaul’s Fate Rests on ‘Big Six’ Talks“, July 7, 2017). These six men, all prominent, influential players in the upper echelons of the US government, have shouldered the task of producing a tax reform plan capable of passage through both houses and subsequently becoming law. The group meets regularly and plans to complete its work in September.

As members of this influential group, these men need to hear from us. What?! “Again”, you ask? Yes, again. We have never been so close to achieving the goal of ending FATCA and/or CBT as we are right now. Recycle an old letter, write a new one, email, Tweet, whatever, but … please … contact these people! (See link to addresses below.)

On Monday afternoon, July 17, 2017 Donald Trump provided some relevant fodder for our communications. In his remarks at the opening of “Made in America” week he said 1) he wants to create a “level playing field” for all Americans and their businesses; and 2) “reciprocity is my favourite word”!

We can inform the “Big Six” that the playing field with the steepest slope of all is the one created by the US tax system (now enforced by FATCA) as applied to Americans who live and work abroad. The alternative, and our request, is the abandonment of CBT in favour of the RBT/TBT of the rest of the civilized world.

And we can inform them also that if Donald Trump loves “reciprocity” it can’t just be the “tit-for-tat” border tax against nations who impose tariffs on US imports (to which he was referring in his speech). He must also be prepared to order US banks to turn over the banking data that foreign nations are demanding as reciprocity under the terms of the FATCA IGAs. His alternative, and our request, is the repeal of FATCA altogether.

For contact addresses please see this link. My thanks to Pacifica!

reposted from citizenshipsolutions dot ca

posted by John Richardson

Introduction: It’s tax reform season and Senator Orrin Hatch wants to hear from you (again)

As reported on the Isaac Brock Society and other digital resources for those impacted by U.S. taxes, you have until July 17, 2017 to tell Senator Hatch what you think needs to be changed in the Internal Revenue Code. After great deliberation, it occurred to me that people who either are (or are accused of being) U.S. citizens or Green Card holders living outside the United States, might want the USA to stop taxing them. After all, they already pay taxes to the countries where they reside. This is your opportunity to “Let your voices be heard” (well maybe).

The Senate Finance Committee is yet again asking the general public to send comments on tax reform. The deadline is July 17, and the email address is taxreform2017@finance.senate.gov.

https://www.finance.senate.gov/chairmans-news/hatch-calls-for-feedback-on-tax-reform

(July 17, 2017 is coming quickly. Please take a few moments to send your thoughts to Senator Hatch. Tell him you feel about FATCA, citizenship-based taxation, FBAR, etc.)

Speaking of “tax reform”: Introducing Jackie Bugion

Jackie Bugnion is a U.S. citizen who has lived in Switzerland for many many years. She has been a tireless advocate for “residence based taxation”. She worked with “American Citizens Abroad” for many years and has recently retired. She was recently honored with the Eugene Abrams Award by ACA- an event that was the subject of a post at the Isaac Brock Society – that described her many achievements (over a long career).

She was the principal organizer of the “Conference on Citizenship Taxation”
which took place in Toronto, Canada in May of 2014. The Conference was widely discussed on the Isaac Brock Society here and here. The live video of the “Kirsch Schneider debate” is here.

I have reproduced a number of her written submissions and posts on this blog, specifically:

• Even in “retirement” Jackie Bugnion writes the best arguments against citizenship taxation
  ever
• A Proposal for Fair U.S. Tax Treatment of Foreign Pensions
• Excellent @JackieBugnion and Roland Crim article on Boris Johnson @MayorOfLondon and plight
  of #Americansabroad

Jackie Bugnion – 2013 Submission to the House Ways and Means Committee – Explains the upcoming New American Revolution

2013 submission from @JackieBugnion to the House Ways and Means Committee – explains the "New American Revolution" https://t.co/csUxqFeqUn pic.twitter.com/azfw4jyCQz

— John Richardson – Counsellor for US persons abroad (@ExpatriationLaw) July 14, 2017

The submission referenced in the above tweet describes the history of the construction of the U.S. “fiscal prison” brick by legislative brick!
(Forward it to anybody and everybody with a interest in this.)
 
Jackie has returned with her 2017 submission to Senator Hatch.
 
Jackie Bugnion 2017 submission to Chairman Hatch – reproduced with permission of Jackie Bugnion

Continue reading →

Thanks to JC for finding this information and for the text of this post, which he posted as a comment on the Media thread this evening:

Hatch Calls for Feedback on Tax Reform

The Senate Finance Committee is yet again asking the general public to send comments on tax reform. The deadline is July 17, and the email address is taxreform2017@finance.senate.gov.

https://www.finance.senate.gov/chairmans-news/hatch-calls-for-feedback-on-tax-reform

Maybe I’ll just dust off my previous submissions to the Senate Finance Committee and House Ways and Means Committee. Maybe ADCS should send them the fine multipart/multimedia submission sent previously to the Senate Finance Committee international work group on tax reform.

They claim that these submissions will be private. I don’t mind to have a submission placed on a website somewhere.

They don’t have a specific category that fits our case. #4 talks about international and competitiveness yet also has the words “preserve our tax base.”

I don’t see a “simplification” category, or a “fairer” category.

If we send submissions in perhaps they will be categorized under the 4 categories provided. Instead of getting drowned out in the individual person tax category, as I imagine there will be a vast majority from Homelanders in this category, maybe best to angle it as international, category #4.

Already a month has passed since this request. The 17th is this coming Monday.

Perhaps this call for submissions has not been broadcast widely. That would mean something less than a mountain of submissions, so more opportunity to impact.

Cross posted from the Renounce U.S. Citizenship blog.

Now …

The Charter of Rights protects ALL Canadians even when it is uncomfortable. Even when some Canadians are more equal? https://t.co/ruiSIH237h

— U.S. Citizen Abroad (@USCitizenAbroad) July 11, 2017

Prologue 2014:

"Why do our most heinous criminals have more rights than I do, asks a Nova Scotia police officer" pre @LynneBlaze https://t.co/1D8W37cNUr

— U.S. Citizen Abroad (@USCitizenAbroad) July 10, 2017

(Those who need a “reset” in terms of the issues in the “Alliance For The Defence of Canadian Sovereignty Lawsuit” should watch the complete video here.)

Canada in 2017:

Khadr apology and settlement about violation of Charter rights, Trudeau says https://t.co/VNXXrr3wfw – Canadian is a Canadian is a Canadian

— U.S. Citizen Abroad (@USCitizenAbroad) July 10, 2017

The article referenced in the above tweet includes:

On Friday, the government confirmed a payment had been made to Khadr to settle a longstanding lawsuit. Khadr’s suit claimed Canada had violated his rights and was complicit with the United States when he was detained at the U.S. base in Cuba, denied access to a lawyer and tortured.

The Supreme Court of Canada in 2010 ruled Khadr’s rights had been violated.

The apology sparked fresh public debate about Khadr, but Trudeau says the settlement is not about the details of Khadr’s case but the fact his rights were violated.

Trudeau says the Charter of Rights and Freedoms protects all Canadians, “even when it is uncomfortable.”

“When the government violates any Canadian’s Charter rights, we all end up paying for it,” he said.

Trudeau says the Charter of Rights and Freedoms protects all Canadians, “even when it is uncomfortable”

Pierre Trudeau would have believed that the Charter of Rights of protects all Canadians. Justin Trudeau doesn’t believe that. In theory constitutional (including Charter rights) are great things. In practice “rights” often make people feel uncomfortable.

The examples of Canadians with a “U.S. taint” and Mr. Khadr make people uncomfortable. That is perhaps why both really are “Charter of Rights” cases!

(Of course the Supreme Court of Canada has not (unlike in the case of Mr. Khadr) YET ruled that the rights of Canadians with a “U.S. taint” have been violated. Perhaps, that is the real difference.)

In conclusion …

As Isaac Brock Commenter "Embee" comments, when it comes to the #FATCA and the Canadian Charter of Rights https://t.co/R2oYNxsUws pic.twitter.com/TXIyg56RJm

— U.S. Citizen Abroad (@USCitizenAbroad) July 10, 2017

reposted from renounceuscitizenship blog

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
What follows is the full text of the Facebook post referenced in the above link. Really now, it’s time to understand that taxation is NOT the price you pay for Government services (or certainly not civilization). It’s something you are required to pay to support the Homeland. Homelanders abroad, Accidental Americans and other dual citizens, academics, and those opposing FATCA, FBAR, PFIC, CBT and other forms of U.S. extra-territorial harassment should really be asking:
 
“Ask not what the Homeland can do for you! Ask what you can do for the Homeland?”

I posted this to my 400 “friends” on Facebook. It’s great to see and hear their disgust when they become enlightened about what the US government is doing to its own citizens. Also had some friends from Iran say, “gee and I thought my government was bad” I also copied in the testimonial videos for good measure. We have to get the word out that this impacts all Americans and the USA as a nation. Hiding in fear and not speaking up will get us nowhere.

“Guys, most of you know I’ve lived overseas for close to 20 years. Let me warn my fellow Americans to not try to live and work outside the USA for an extended amount of time. The US government and IRS with it crazy laws has now made Americans living overseas “rejects”, while the rest of the world is free to work and live where they please completely unburdened by their home country. The US is unfortunately intent on destroying its network of US citizens living abroad in order to maybe catch a few rich American tax cheats that live in the US.
The US is the only country in the world that taxes on citizenship alone and forces foreign banks to give all banking account info on US citizens to the IRS, regardless of where they live. Mind you, the US gives these countries no information in return, and that has made the USA the biggest tax haven for the rich from the rest of the world.

Foreign banks are now as a result denying and cancelling American’s bank accounts, cancelling mortgages, or just won’t sell you financial products since the filing hassle for them to the IRS has become too much and it’s just easier to get rid of US Americans as customers.
Companies also don’t want you if you are American and have signing authority, since the IRS wants all of that company’s info too and most companies see no point and just refuse you the job and take anyone with any other nationality.

You are also supposed to file all sorts of forms each year declaring your bank accounts and insurance to the IRS even though you might owe no tax due to some treaty and if you get 1 thing wrong, you get a fine of $10k to $50k per form. You also need to hire an expensive accountant that understands US tax, while you of course hire another local accountant for your local tax, which is already much higher than the US.

If you sell any property here, the US also wants a piece of that too, even if you already paid tax here on it. If you get a pension from a company, the US will want some of that too. All while you will get $0 Social Security and not ever qualify for Medicare, and anything you need from an US Embassy, even evacuated from a hostile country, you have to pay for it. You get 0 benefit from being an American overseas.

The result, Americans born and raised in the US and instilled with American values are not allowed to live unburdened overseas and have 0 representation in the US government, yet are supposed to pay taxes twice, have job opportunities lost and have banks refuse you.
If you want to give up citizenship to escape the hassle and be free to live like everyone else, that will cost you $2,500 and maybe a piece of everything you own.

So, I bet you didn’t realize you aren’t free to just leave the US other than on vacation. The rest of the world will leave us behind with their overseas network of citizens and build relations, while Americans will simply just need to stay home to avoid the hassle.

I’m passing this on, because I

realize most of the homeland Americans had no idea about these laws and their consequences made by our own government.”