Cross posted from RenounceUScitizenship.
The Two Seasons: Tax and Non-Tax
It used to be that at least in theory there were four seasons. But, now in practice, there are only two seasons: “Tax Season” and “Non-Tax Season”. “Non-Tax Season” is getting shorter and shorter. Continue reading
I just noticed the government responded to a written question request from NDP MP Hoang Mai on FBAR yesterday. However, I cannot find the actual text of what the government’s response was anywhere on Hansard. Anyone have any advice where I should look. This is the link below to yesterday’s journal.
A reader submitted the following video (an historical primer on the War of 1812). Her feelings of warmth towards the United States are at all all time high (not). If you are from the Department of Homeland Security, there is a special note at the bottom of this post, just for you.
Just Me has been asking to find out whatever I could about “US Persons” in Australia and New Zealand. I have to admit I don’t much about Australian or New Zealand politics but I knew enough to recognize the name Kristina Keneally (who in Canadian terms would be the Australian equivalent of Dalton McGuinty or Mike Harris). I literally though fell off my chair when I discovered that Keneally in fact was born the United States and renounced her US citizenship in 2000 upon becoming Australian (Australia banned dual nationality until April 4th 2002).
Recently, reports have surfaced that drug dealers are abandoning the U.S. dollar in favour of a cleaner, more liquid medium of exchange. From The Daily:
Tide has become a form of currency on the streets. The retail price is steadily high — roughly $10 to $20 a bottle — and it’s a staple in households across socioeconomic classes. Tide can go for $5 to $10 a bottle on the black market, authorities say. Enterprising laundry soap peddlers even resell bottles to stores. “There’s no serial numbers and it’s impossible to track,” said Detective Larry Patterson of the Somerset, Ky., Police Department, where authorities have seen a huge spike in Tide theft. “It’s the item to steal.” …
When you hear these Hollywood folks (many probably more wealthy than the vast majority of IBS participants) pronounce the words, what do you hear about our current situation as minnows abroad? I find that there are quite a few scary parallels. I’m not sure how to interpret the “Indian Savages” passage, as I am one. I could spend hours expounding upon the parallels. I let you help me because I’ve got other work to do and don’t want to be a one-man show.
Petros responds to markpinetree and others regarding the name of the Isaac Brock Society.
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.
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
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.
