Category Archives: Issues regarding US persons abroad

I have attempted to gather the comments on this subject, identified by comments from Neill, so they will be in one place for further discussion by those able to review:

Neill says
November 13, 2014 at 11:10 am

This has got to be worth digging into: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/brager-tax-law-group-obtains-182000920.html
FOIA request on OVDP dump. Not locked.

On OVDP dump. First document has great cartoons in it.

http://www.bragertaxlaw.com/files/lbI_doc_1.pdf

This is a powerpoint of the IRS bragging about them bowing UBS
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That first document clearly shows that it’s all a big joke inside the IRS. See that PowerPoint an the picture on page 78. It shows a massive chalk board filled with equations and diagrams. Caption says ‘Clearly this taxpayer qualifies for the 5% penalty’. Other pictures show taxpayers doing hurdles to get into these groups.
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We need a coordinated effort were we give a person a doc to skim through and we keep track of what’s been looked at. We will be ready this way for when there is a class action lawsuit. Maybe we find something to give to the press.
Bastards.

Tricia Moon says
November 14, 2014 at 9:36 am

Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I have not heard of it before. For those who want to start reading: http://www.bragertaxlaw.com/previously-unreleased-irs-guidelines-for-fbar-audits.html

No Word says
November 14, 2014 at 10:09 am

Can someone bring this treasure trove to the attention of Allison Christians. I think someone of her calibre is able to make sense of what has been released.

YES, I agree — would be good to have a legal eye looking if possible and Tricia has forwarded to Allison as requested.

Finally from badger, today: https://isaacbrocksociety.ca/2012/01/28/the-ovdi-drudgery-for-minnows/comment-page-23/#comment-4272818

From find by Neill and posted on another thread https://isaacbrocksociety.ca/media-and-blog-articles-open-for-comments/comment-page-73/#comment-4244472

See:
http://www.bragertaxlaw.com/previously-unreleased-irs-guidelines-for-fbar-audits.html
and entire list of documents obtained:
http://www.bragertaxlaw.com/previously-unreleased-irs-guidelines-for-fbar-audits.html

Importantly, as badger points out:

Note, this is just an FYI, not an endorsement of any kind or advertising the law firm who made the FOIA request and posted it on their site.

Review Previous Isaac Brock Society Post and Comments re Boris Johnson, Mayor of London

and then listen to this current interview of Mayor Johnson’s feelings about his own US citizenship (he renewed that US passport in 2012):

The Diane Rehm Show – Interview with Boris Johnson, November 13, 2014, which begs someone to contact him again regarding our existence and his possible assistance in the cause as he is one of them there “Accidentals” having apparently left the US when he was five years old. This will best be a job for someone who can get through the layers of bureaucracy to actually reach and communicate with Mr. Johnson.

It certainly would be significant to get the attention of someone like Commander Chris Hadfield. I wish you all the best in your attempt, JC. He became a hero to Canadians, someone for Canadian children to look up to. Will he recognize some of our Canadian children who are defined by the U.S. as having U.S. citizenship and all of the same U.S. tax compliance consequences he will have?

@Calgary411

Request for IBS Feature: Contact with Chris Hadfield

By Tuesday 18 Nov: I will attempt contact with Commander Chris Hadfield – very high profile Canadian with US personhood (snowbird rules). Hadfield has flown two space shuttle missions and served as commander of the International Space Station.

He also sang the Canadian anthem during the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens game on 18 January 2014. He is famous for a rendition of David Bowie’s Space Oddity which he sang on the International Space Station and posted a popular video on YouTube, among many videos.

This may be subject of IBS commentary the message and the medium for such contact. He only has 1+ Million Twitter followers so I thought about contacting him there. Here are three Tweets that I thought of sending starting Tuesday (that might get modified tweaked depending on comments):

How best to appeal to him without scaring him away? Do we send him to just the home page of IBS?

@Cmdr_Hadfield Esteemed Canadian/US needed for mission: Ground Control to Uncle Sam. Re: unjust US taxes https://isaacbrocksociety.ca/ #FATCA

@Cmdr_Hadfield Esteemed Canadian/US needed to highlight unjust US tax laws applying to Canadians https://isaacbrocksociety.ca/ #FATCA

@Cmdr_Hadfield Canadians Ginny & Gwen need support to fight American Financial Imperialism/Savings Confiscation https://isaacbrocksociety.ca/ #FATCA

I also found out that he has his own website with potential for attempted e-mail contact: http://chrishadfield.ca/

Will Commander Hadfield have completed all necessary paperwork for his times in the USA http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Hadfield — Form 8840 http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f8840.pdf for his Closer Connection Exception Statement for Aliens? Canadians here hope so!

Fearing Up for #FATCA– with all Necessary Propoganda from the Administration

As the administration and friends were looking for someone else to fund both their deficit and their new domestic jobs bills (such as 2010 HR 2847 Jobs for Mainstreet Act), they looked around for new ways to get money from people they didn’t like. However, they needed to get it from people who couldn’t fight back. They also needed to make sure that no one else would come in and defend those people.

G.Obombda Barracks (G.O.B. or OB for short) asked his team: “What is the largest segment of US citizens that can’t fight back?” His team answered: “There are 7.6 million US citizens living outside the USA, and we make it difficult for them to vote–as difficult as we can, that is”

OB: “Any others?” Team: There are 10’s of millions of legal immigrant residents, whom we don’t need to please because most of them can’t vote.

OB: “Is that all you got?” Team: “Course not—they all got spouses and kids”

OB: “Better. But not good enough.” Team: “A bunch of ‘em got business partners, too”

OB: “What else can you get me?” Team: “We can get you entire families overseas with green cards”

OB: “Looking better and better.” Team: “And their green cards don’t even need to be active or usable.”

OB: “I like it. Let’s call them all “US Persons” What else?” Team: “Here’s the best part–they don’t have to BE those things, they just need to be SUSPECTED to be those things”

continued

or copy past link: http://bancdelasteroideb612.wordpress.com/2014/11/11/america-gang-bangs-its-own-citizens/

What’s most upsetting to us is the meme manufactured and controlled directly out of that big white house. It is nearly impossible to take on this attack upon on head on. The resources that are devoted to screwing us are way too high.

The post is meant to instill the importance of what we all know–that something is needed to start a new meme about US expatriates (and green card holders, and immigrants, and spouses, and business partners……).  Some new meme needs to overtake Schumer’s and Levin’s and Bill Nelson’s and Barbara Boxer’s smearing of US persons.

An author, John Gaver,  has recently opened a window to allow “the real story”

Here is how he responded to some multiple blasts from one of our colleague dissidents:

@… @kred65 @… Tell me how that story can be written 2 address the reader’s question “How does it affect me?” & I will.  

This gives an opening to either present US citizens in a good light, or to present the administration in a bad light, depending upon how the author skews the information.

Here is the  incorrect information he provided in his article, which ellicited some nasty feedback from Brockers and others

http://www.examiner.com/article/obama-drives-record-10-000-wealthy-u-s-taxpayers-to-renounce-citizenship

Continue reading →

On Friday, November 7th, I attended the Remembrance Day ceremony at the elementary school where I live. I wore my ceremonial dress, as requested, and joined a couple of veterans who were also in attendance. During the singing of “O Canada”, for the first time in my life, I felt really conflicted. After 30+ years as a law enforcement officer in Canada, during the singing of our national anthem, it started to really hit home that the current Canadian government does not consider me to be a Canadian.

Continue reading →

An interesting reference to a pay-walled issue of Tax Notes Today{2014 TNT 216-3 (11/7/14)} on Jack Townsend’s blog:

“Regarding so-called quiet disclosures — when taxpayers file amended returns and delinquent foreign bank account reports without coming in through the offshore voluntary disclosure program or the streamlined program — Best [senior adviser to the deputy commissioner (international), IRS Large Business and International Division] said, “The IRS recognizes that a quiet filing is a choice that the taxpayer has.”
But Best added, “We would prefer that taxpayers come in through one of our programs so that we have tracking mechanisms, information gathering mechanisms set up, but ultimately it’s up to the taxpayer.“

Continue reading →

When: Sunday, November 30, 2014, 6:30 – 8:30 pm

Where:Carr Hall, St. Michael’s College, U of T, 100 St. Joseph St., Toronto ON M5S 2C4
MAP

Admission: $20 individual or $40 for a family of up to four people. Payable in cash at the door, please (to cover costs). Hope to see you and your families on November 30. Spread the word!
 
This session will feature a very special guest speaker!

 
The IRS made changes to the “Streamlined Program” (a “relaxed” way for delinquent U.S taxpayers to catch up with their U.S. tax and information reporting forms) on June 18 of this year.
Further guidance was given on October 08. Snowbirds in particular, face a potential conflict. It is commonly misunderstood that anyone can stay in the U.S. for up to 180 (actually 182 or less) days per year without any tax consequences. In fact, the manner of counting days is subject to a complex way of computing the total number and of course, there is a form to be filed in the event one is over the limit. In the same manner many expats have been caught off guard with respect to filing tax and information returns, snowbirds who are unaware of the correct procedure are at risk.

Should one be so unfortunate as to be cast into the U.S. taxation net, the Streamlined Program might appear to be a way out. Even better, recent IRS indications are that they will presume that those outside the U.S. were non-willful non-filers, which will eliminate penalties. What could be better? However, in order to qualify for the non-U.S. residence status, one must not have spent more than 35 days in the U.S. for the past three years. The Catch 22 is in order to qualify for the U.S. resident version of Streamlined, one must have filed U.S. tax returns for the previous 3 years.
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Where: McBain Community Centre – Room A – 7150 Montrose Rd., Niagara Falls, Ontario L2H 3N3 MAP

When: Tuesday, November 11, 2014, 8:00 – 10:00 pm

Admission: $20 individual or $40 for a family of up to four people. Payable in cash at the door, please (to cover costs). Hope to see you and your families on November 11. Spread the word!