IRS watchdog accuses agency of “bait-and-switch”
IRS voluntary disclosure programs allowing wealthy Americans to come forward and disclose their hidden accounts
Grrrrr…. same-ole-same-ole.
Let's Remind People That This is an Election Year
Petros made some great suggestions about how to get the word out and make it stick. As I was brainstorming the other night it occurred to me that this is an election year and, if we take the right actions, we just might get some traction with some people who would otherwise happily ignore the whole business. These are 3 easy things that I have done or will do and I offer them to you as suggestions. If you have your own ideas, feel free to add them in the comments section:
More Innocent Spouses Qualify for Relief Under New IRS Guidelines
http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=252036,00.html?portlet=107
It may refer to other aspects for being an innocent spouse, but we have many innocent Canadian spouses who are affected by the IRS overreach into other countries.
“The IRS is significantly changing the way we determine innocent spouse relief,” said IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman. “These improvements should dramatically enhance our process to make it fairer for victimized taxpayers facing difficult situations.”
Taxpayer Advocate Service — 2011 Annual Report to Congress
AmTaker posted this on the Expat Blog and I hope that he is OK with me posting it here as I haven’t seen it mentioned as yet. Looks like it underscores a lot of what we’ve been discussing.
The IRS Taxpayer advocate service came out with its annual report on the IRS and included a large section (very critical of the IRS) on FBARs, the 2009 VD program etc etc. Very scathing report, so hopefully it’ll have some impact
http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-utl/2011_…tionalmsps.pdf
The Antidote from Just Me: Open Thread
Hey folks, Just Me sent me the following video, the antidote to unemployment, FATCA, FBAR, and IRS taxes getting you down: “Spread the sunshine….Fun fun fun” — thanks Just Me. Life is a yellow ukelele (and I love the ukelele).
Staple a "Green Card" to every PhD – Don't fall for this! Don't immigrate to the U.S.
This post has been cross posted at renounceuscitizenship
The U.S. chief technology officer notes that American needs skilled immigrants. He suggests:
“Why not staple a green card to every PhD in certain fields?”
“Welcome To America” and obligations of U.S. GreenCardShip!
Citizenship Without Consent in a Globalized Era
Parts of this post are from a piece called Involuntary Citizenship – Here’s How Strange It Can Get that I wrote back in October for the Flophouse blog.
A Canadian article carries Shulman's water
IRS attaches no deadline to amnesty program
Apparently, Mr. McKenna did not see our press release or chose to ignore it. I have pasted most of it with a link in the comments.
IRS and Shulman have not acted sensibly or in a humane way
I came across this great post – enjoy!
https://twitter.com/#!/renounceus/status/156873340496252928
Taxes, Elizabeth Warren, and the Limiting Principle
The Constitution of the United States, being the supreme law of the land, defines the powers granted by law to the Federal government. Since the objective of the Founders was to create a nation that operates under a limited government, it was important to them to define as precisely as possible not just the powers of the government, but the limitations to those powers. It is the job of the courts to evaluate new laws that apply or expand Congressional authority, and part of that duty is to ensure that there are clear limits to Congressional power, ie, they seek the Limiting Principle. Theoretically.