Surveys, Petitions, Submissions – Let Them Know What You Think!
September 2021. Support Lawsuit to Force Dept of State to Restart Renunciation at all Locations and Remove Barriers to Renunciation.
August 2021. Sign EU EndFATCA Petition.
Older surveys, petitions, submissions requests are archived here.
As for the DA and RO raison d’ětre being to garner votes and seek donations, from some stats that I’ ve seen only approx 5 % of the estimated expat population actually vote and I would guess even less donate. So where are they actually getting funds.?
“…those who don’t want to file can’t register to stop filing unless they have been filing. Thus of little benefit to the noncompliant majority.”
Those who haven’t been filing don’t have a problem.
“Long term expats and accidentals who aren’t willing or able to enter or reenter the US tax system remain tax cheats under the TTFI proposal.”
In what way could an individual be cheating on US taxes if not resident in the US and not filing US tax returns?
US-born individuals living in IGA1-signatory countries are being presumed tax-resident in the US (i.e. able to cheat the US tax system) unless they can prove otherwise.
At present, the only way a US-born individual can document non-US-tax-residence is by renouncing US citizenship, which is expensive.
A registration scheme such as that devised by ACA (a modified version of which was introduced in the US House of Representatives in the closing hours of the last session) could in theory provide a free or cheaper way to document non-US-tax-residence.
Of course, it goes without saying that the better solution would be for courts to rule the birthplace discrimination illegal.
@plaxy, “those who havent been filing don’t have a problem”
According to YOU. Tell that to Fabien Lehrage and his association of accidental Americans. I’m sure after they hear your wisdom they will disband and carry on with their lives pre-FATCA. Tell that to all the Canadians born in USA who live with the fear that someday their non-filing status will come back to haunt them more than just in their dreams. Tell that to the Canadian plaintiffs who could have ignored the toothless (according to YOU) FATCA threat from the USA since they (and other Canadians like them) don’t really have a problem.
Don’t have a problem registering.
The French AAA group is challenging the French government’s legislation stripping them of data protection/privacy rights and discriminating against them on the basis of national origin.
The Canadian plaintiffs are challenging the Charter violations committed by the Canadian government.
“…Canadians born in USA who live with the fear that someday their non-filing status will come back to haunt them more than just in their dreams.”
In what way?
@plaxy. You really seem to enjoy word games but often miss the point.
What word games? And what point is it that you think I’m missing?
@plaxy, The more I read your comments the more I think you may be paid by the word. Admin, I really think you should find a way to limit excessive commenting by individuals who take over the discussions on a regular basis. How are you going to raise money for round two when Plaxy keeps telling us we don’t really have a problem?
The point is, as I said above, US-born citizens of IGA1 countries are being presumed US tax-resident and don’t have a way to prove otherwise, other than renouncing US citizenship which is expensive.
A registration scheme could in theory provide an additional path to prove non-US-tax-residence — a path that is lacking for citizens at the moment though available for non-citizens.
As I said above, a better solution would be for courts to rule the discrimination illegal.
At the risk of getting myself yelled at, I will comment. How one raises money for round two is by being very clear about what the problem is: Charter violations, specifically unequal treatment on the basis of national origin and failure to protect privacy, facilitated by the IGA. We cannot claim that the US via FATCA is somehow compelling Canadians to pay US taxes or penalties, because this is not true, and under current law is not even possible. To repeat, those who have not been filing do not have a US tax problem. (Insert the usual caveats about cross-border financial connections etc.)
So this may be a tough sell to the uninitiated, as it’s a relatively abstract sort of harm. The French Accidentals and other Europeans can point to examples of banking restrictions, which really do make daily life difficult, but it’s not an issue we face in Canada. This is good news for anyone living here with US citizenship, but from a PR perspective we lose a very concrete and comprehensible form of discrimination.
@nononymous, Plaxy was not singling out Canadians when she said “those who haven’t been filing don’t have a problem.”
But even if she was, I and no doubt others as well would beg to differ. Just because Canada is not currently emptying the bank accounts of Canadians born in USA and giving their money to a foreign country doesnt mean FATCA is not a problem or potentially a problem. What is not a problem from your perspective may be a problem from someone else’s. For example, people like to sleep at night, but for some, the fact that they must keep their US birthplace secret else risk having their financial account details sent to USA keeps them awake at night thus is a problem.
Also keep in mind that there is no way to predict what is the next step with FATCA should lawsuits against it fold or fail because Canadians don’t think they have a problem. The attempt to round up the names of non US residents deemed US taxpayers could become more intense as resistance to FATCA weakens. In that sense the FATCA IGA is a problem that needs to be stopped before it becomes worse.
“Plaxy was not singling out Canadians when she said “those who haven’t been filing don’t have a problem.” ”
Indeed not. Expats who have been filing might have a problem registering, should a registration scheme come into existence, because by filing US returns they’ve agreed to treat their non-US-source income as US-taxable.
Expats who haven’t been filing, don’t have that problem.
Whatever scheme is created (if any), it will either offer a path to proof of non-US-tax-residence or it won’t. That will be up to the US legislators to decide. Worth asking for though.
“ In that sense the FATCA IGA is a problem that needs to be stopped before it becomes worse.”
Laws that discriminate on the basis of national origin, and strip citizens of rights, need to be corrected because the wrong is being done now – not because of some wholly imaginary future dread.
@Gobsmacked
Absolutely correct that potential future problems are a concern, which is why it’s better to lie to your bank than blithely identify yourself even though data sharing doesn’t currently lead to US tax bills. There are three things that US persons in Canada can do to protect themselves:
1. Do not identify as a US person, when asked.
2. Do not attempt US tax compliance.
3. Support the lawsuit to bring down the IGA. A victory may or may not end FATCA reporting, and it certainly won’t remove US tax obligations, but it’s a step in the right direction.
@plaxy
If whatever TTFI scheme ever emerges does not include relief from banking service restrictions in countries where that is an issue, then it doesn’t address the most immediate problem for those suffering from discrimination.
@plaxy, Please give it a rest. Take a break from Brock for awhile as in days not hours. Let others have a chance to get a word in edgewise.
Nononymous – I’m not sure I understand your meaning. Holding’s bill doesn’t propose to do anything about the IGAs or alter the due diligence. I don’t really see how any US legislation could do that. It would require bilateral renegotiation of the IGAs, which would certainly be a good thing but is not what Holding’s bill proposes.
Plaxy. Why are you so obsessed that you can’t stop commenting incessantly at this blog?
Exactly. Ergo, Holding’s bill is essentially useless for any Accidentals in Europe who are being denied financial services or do not wish to have their account info reported to the US.
But we are now side-tracking yet again so I will sign off for the rest of the day.
Plaxy, do you think it’s fair that you monopolize the discussions here on an almost daily basis for months?
“Holding’s bill is essentially useless for any Accidentals in Europe who are being denied financial services or do not wish to have their account info reported to the US.”
It’s probably never going to see the light of day anyway.
Plaxy, As a self challenge (since appealing to fairness doesn’t work) perhaps consider trying to abstain from commenting for awhile. See if you can do it.
@ gobsmacked
Why don’t you listen to your own advice .
@ gobsmacked
Please tone it down a notch. Plaxy et al contribute more information here than many others . What we don’ t need is spreading needless and ininfomed paranoia.
My apologies to Plaxy and et al. Carry on.
Seriously though. I was mean to Plaxy.