Petros responds to markpinetree and others regarding the name of the Isaac Brock Society.
Category Archives: Issues regarding US persons abroad
Change of tone by Canadian Bankers Association?
About four weeks ago, I sent an email to Canadian Bankers Association (CBA) on Blaze’s behalf, forwarding to them under my real name an email she had written (from which I had stripped her personal identification). Blaze posted their reply to my email (which reply was really a reply to Blaze’s email) in this thread.
After receiving CBA’s reply to Blaze, I sent a lengthy reply to them. Earlier today, I received a short reply to that missive, from the same CBA official. This latest reply seems more sympathetic to our concerns, in tone and wording.
Check out the following page on HR Block site – suggests U.S. citizens must enter Voluntary Disclosure
Help! I would like a second opinion on what this page on the HR Block Canada site is really saying. It appears to me that they are either directly saying (or at least implying) that U.S. citizens in Canada MUST enter the Voluntary Disclosure Initiative. To me this sounds as though they are saying that people must enter the OVDI program that was reactivated in January 2012. VDI is certainly different from a general requirement to file U.S. tax returns. The page URL is here (it states a 2012 publication date):
http://www.hrblock.ca/canada-irs.asp
What follows is an excerpt from the page. (You may want to read it all.) Am I misreading this? Am I misinterpreting this? How would a U.S. citizen in Canada interpret this? Help! At the very least I think this is highly misleading. I have highlighted certain parts. Your thoughts? Continue reading
Whatchamacallit
Following in the footsteps of James Fallows, who questioned the Brock identity, markpinetree has just registered his wish that the Isaac Brock Society morph into Americans Abroad Society.
One of the interesting aspects of this virtual watercooler, and of the technology that makes it possible, is that place does not matter. Off the top of my head, besides Canada, we have Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, France, Hong Kong, India, New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom … and USA.
Elsewheresers are welcome to make that listing fuller. No intent to omit. With Brockers thus far in March spitting out an average of over 17,000 words per day, keeping track is a stretch.
Getting Media Attention on Harmful US Citizenship Tax policy
I have been reading and thinking about the discussion on the recent CBC story and share the frustrations that many have with media in Canada or America who just don’t seem to get the narrative right (from our POV) when it comes to US Expat citizenship taxation, Voluntary Disclosure programs, or offshore accounts issues (FATCA). It is very hard for us as individuals to get Journalist or Editors attention, have them adopt our narratives, and only occasionally do we have minor success on the fringes like here and here.
I wished I had the magic answer, or some profound insight as how to solve this problem. We must recognize that even organizations like ACA who have been at this for years and years have a hard time getting MSM attention on their many efforts. However, I would like to venture a suggestion of another painful drudgery (I am into drudgery) that can bear fruit….
To Minister Of Finance: Canadians Are Desperate!
I’m increasingly concerned about how FATCA is affecting people on a personal level. I’ve again written to Jim Flaherty to try to appeal to him to act now because of the toll this is taking on Canadian citizens and residents.
Here’s my e-mail Subject: FATCA: Canadians Are Desperate. We Need Your Help Now!
Late Loyalist renounces
In early February, Late Loyalist told his 2011 OVDI story, a harrowing tale: his 5% voluntary disclosure fine was $1589.00, with zero taxes owing to the United States, but his lawyer fees exceeded 20k. He now reports that he has renounced his United States citizenship.
Hi All:
Wednesday March 7th at 3:45 pm Calgary time I renounced my US citizenship. What a relief! I can’t tell you how good that first step feels.
Two prominent members of European Parliament raise concern over FATCA five agreement
Two prominent members of the European Parliament Sophie in’t Veld and Sylvia Goulard have recently raised concerns to the EU Commission over the FATCA five agreement the US signed with five EU nations. Link below to their written request to the EU Commission.
http://www.d66.nl/intveld/document/wpq_fatca/f=/vixnlqmqvwm5.pdf
Help wanted: Forum administrator needed
Hi everyone.
A number of people have written to the Isaac Brock Forum saying that they can’t get onto the forum. Now I want to mention that I am absolutely ambivalent as to whether this forum even exists. It was created out of a desire to serve people in a different format than what this WordPress blog. That’s ok with me, but as adminstrator of this blog I definitely have my hands full, and therefore, I retreated from involvement there.
Now the person who kindly set up the forum has not accepted to be its on-going administrator. So I wonder if someone that we know here would be willing to do it. This announcement has been up at the forum itself but no one has come forward.
The CBC offers a primer but a little knowledge is a dangerous thing
After my post regarding how CBC news article carried IRS water, Calgary411 has published two email responses from Ian Johnson of CBC News*, which explain why they corrected the initial article. I was glad for the corrections. However, the letters also explained the CBC rationale behind the articles. In the first letter, Johnson wrote:
This story was written as part of a CBC income tax season editorial package. It was intended as a primer for Canadians who were born in the U.S. or who hold dual citizenship, in order to provide them with basic information about actions being taken by the IRS that they might not be aware of, and which could have direct tax implications for them.