Amazing. Finally, “mainlanders” are being exposed to this issue. Interestingly, a large number seem to be sympathetic. Very interesting to see the comments of “mainstream America”. This article motivated 6000 people to say something. It’s clear that the U.S. government is not popular even in the U.S. This is a good opportunity to get some comments into the stream.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/tax-time-pushes-americans-hike-204320491.html
One of the most common justifications among DC tax professors and policy wonks for taxing US homelanders and US Persons abroad in the exact same way is “horizontal equity”: the idea that “similarly-situated” taxpayers should pay similar amounts to the US government. Naturally, these people see the current situation, in which U.S. Persons Abroad get all these “great tax breaks”, as horribly unfair. So here’s a handy table comparing the paperwork which U.S. homelanders and U.S. Persons Abroad must complete in order to conduct similarly-situated kinds of financial activities. All estimates are courtesy of the Paperwork Reduction Act.
Here are two just-heard stories that deserve a repeat. One first-hand, one second-hand, both from a credible source known personally for decades.
A Canadian-only university professor who has travelled widely (Asia, South America, Africa, Europe) felt disinclined to enter the Bush-era United States, and never did. After Obama, a 2010 flight south of the border. At the destination airport, treated like everyone else on the plane, the Canadian prof got fingerprinted. To round off the indignities, singled out for a full-body scan. No intention ever to enter that land again.
A neighbor of the above reporter, a provincial government employee, crossed the border about five years ago on a day trip, a previously common practice. The US border guard stood by the trunk of the car. When it was opened, the guard accused the driver of striking him with the trunk lid. Four hours of interrogation and harassment followed. Then one guard said to the other, “That should be enough for now.” That Canadian has not crossed the US border since that day.
Read also: Welcome to the United States: Lesson I. Watch what you tweet
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/business/The-high-cost-of-Fatca_11273476
Peter Dunn, blogger, Canadian citizen, Petros, former US citizen
or
You decide.
I noticed a news feature on CNN this morning, concerning a man named Joe Stack who committed suicide in 2010 by flying his plane into an IRS building in Austin. I vaguely remembered the incident though doubt I noticed at the time that it involved the IRS because my own issues with FUBAR, etc, had yet to happen. Apparently they will air a show (“The Faith and the Fury”), about this on Sunday night; it seems to also be available on the CNN website and there is also a version on YouTube.
Among other things, Mr. Stack felt destroyed by the fact he could not work independently as a software engineer. This was due to a law which affected the 1986 Tax Reform Act. According to the NYT:
No the above are not words spoken by an American expatriate, although we can all relate.
Freaking Americans causing people all over the world to have nervous attacks and cry all the time!
Badger made the following comment which is well worth pulling out of our busy comment stream:
The ‘lords’ and ‘masters’ grant or deny us travel passes, and grant or deny us the ability to change our status – via US citizenship.
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – This is the day when Americans back home are scrambling to get their tax forms to the IRS, but outside the US the difficulty of remaining tax compliant is leading a growing number of citizens to hand in their passports: on average, 7 Americans a day took the oath to stop being a US citizen in 2011.
Americans meet in Lausanne as tax filing day raises new questions
Note the following comment from Steven Mopsick:
The law which requires U.S. Persons to submit worldwide income to US taxation must be changed. It is unfair, it makes no sense, and it has a chilling effect on commerce, jobs creation, and free trade. Perhaps more importantly, our world image has suffered enough over the last few decades. People over the world who have been on the fence about whether America has lost its mind can only be convinced with this new compliance initiative which removes all doubt.
Thought I would thank him in a more public way as follows: Continue reading
