What does it mean for the future?
US tax policy, FATCA, FBAR criticized on a Swiss website: the embarrassment of the United States
I am pleased to have now invited Jeff D Tomas, nom de plume, from Switzerland to contribute here at Isaac Brock. To give you a sample of his writing, I reproduce here his recent comment at Isaac Brock and his editorial, in French, at Infrarouge. As many at Isaac Brock are able to read French, they can see how embarrassing it should be for the United States to be criticized in this manner, as the US policies violate not only the US constitutional protections but forces other sovereign states to violate their own human rights codes, not to mention the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations. Jeff commented:
Dark Web?
The statistics for search engine terms that bring internet trawlers onto the Isaac Brock Society web site show that only one search counts for much at all: the three words “isaac brock society.” A known-item search …
I poked into this findability topic after monitoring and testing search functionality over at the InfoShop. At this point Google has crawled around the InfoShop — a phrase search [wrap it in quotation marks] for a pithy bit like “longstanding american exceptionalism” will demonstrate that.
The words that worried expatriate Americans seem likely to stab into their keyboards will not connect them in any easy fashion with either Isaac Brock Society or with the InfoShop. Launch a few verbal forays and see for yourself. Stabbing into the dark.
Dual citizen from Brazil trying to do the right thing
I love to share my concerns with you all. I am a dual citizen Brazil/USA and I always saw the USA as a fair country, like they say, Americans always do the right thing after trying everything else. But lately I have been questioning this belief because of the enormous difficulties I am having trying to comply with the IRS demands on Americans Living Abroad.
They seem so unfair to me. My reactions so far can be summed up under FEAR. And perhaps CONFUSION. Love to exchange ideas with you all.
Dual citizenship and forced marriages, by Alison Symington
Alison Symington, “Dual citizenship and forced marriages” (PDF), Dalhousie Journal of Legal Studies 10 (2001); Winner of the Smith Lyons Essay Prize.
Abstract: This paper examines the phenomenon of forced marriage and how the international law on diplomatic protection and domestic citizenship laws interact to prevent young women from receiving help because of their status as dual nationals. The evolution of international law and the rise of human rights are considered, the author contesting international rules preventing the United Kingdom from attempting to assist its nationals who are abducted to South Asia for the purposes of forced marriage. This paper demonstrates how in complex situations involving power, gender, culture and politics, law is better understood as a struggle over meaning than as a stated rule of practice.
Yet another expat goes to Halifax
A friend just returned from Halifax. They told him his application was a “slam dunk.”
Born in the U.S. parents moved him back to Canada as a teenager and he’s been here ever since.
They also told him it would be 2 to 6 months. Hope that applies to all of us.
My further correspondence with one of our Canadian NDP Members of Parliament
I heard again from Honourable Mike Sullivan and responded:
“Thanks once again for getting back to me. …
We at the site, http://isaacbrocksociety.com/The Isaac Brock Society, LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL UNITED STATES PERSONS IN CANADA AND ABROAD, have been very pleased with your office’s and Mr. Sullivan’s immediate response to my original correspondence, as well as seeing the position that the NDP has stated on this important issue. I will be very pleased to hear from you further Mr. Sullivan, when you are back in Ottawa.
Draft Fatca regulations will include reciprocity, experts say – Risk.net
Draft Fatca regulations will include reciprocity, experts say – Risk.net.
Reciprocity? I think we all understand that’s useless, no?
In the meantime, response due from Douglas Shulman, today.
http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-utl/recommendations_tad2011-1.pdf
Response Due:
January 26, 2012
October 26, 2011
MEMORANDUM FOR DOUGLAS SHULMAN, COMMISSIONER OF
INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE
FROM: Nina E. Olson
National Taxpayer Advocate
SUBJECT: Recommendations Regarding Taxpayer Advocate
Directive 2011-1
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Why You Should Care About FATCA
This is a post I wrote this morning and put up on the Flophouse. I know that most of you already know all this but I wanted to gather together the links and publish an argument for why FATCA concerns everyone, not just U.S. Citizens or Green Card Holders abroad. It may be obvious to us but not everyone understands what this law will mean for them. I’m still getting way too many people telling me that FATCA is justified to catch those “evil tax evaders” or that it isn’t their problem because they are not Americans (are you sure about that, folks?) This is my answer.
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