Bandit Gang Writ Large

Overtaxed and over there

"'FATCA is strangling us economically,' says Genevieve Besser, an American who has lived in Germany for 25 years. Last year her youngest daughter, a dual citizen, had her local brokerage account closed by Deutsche Bank because her mother had signing authority over it. Americans are even being forced out of products that are not subject to FATCA reporting: some have been forced to pay off mortgage balances with Swiss banks, for instance. American banks and brokerages are growing frostier too. Some are closing the accounts of citizens who no longer have an American address because of FATCA." Continue reading →

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Why Have So Many Americans Considered Expatriation?

"According to Rasmussen Reports, fully 9% of the U.S. population has considered 'expatriation.' A record number of Americans 'officially' expatriated in the second quarter of 2013—and the real number is probably much higher. The mainstream media says that U.S. citizens give up their citizenship only to avoid paying tax. The fact is, more than 7 million Americans now live abroad. Many of them can no longer hold bank accounts, qualify for a mortgage, or set up a tax-deferred account for retirement or their children's education. They don't leave solely because of taxes—they give up their native son and daughter status because they pretty much have to just to function outside this country." Continue reading →

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Might India Confiscate the Gold of the Temples?

"If the financial woes of the Government worsen, as seems likely, the temptation will increase for them to tap into Temple resources at some point. Who the actual owners of the resources may be, is likely to become more blurred along the way. We are heading into a confiscatory era—a time when banks and governments reserve the right to go beyond the old method of taxation and to actually pillage the purse of the public. This has begun with bank accounts and pension funds in some countries, and, as the concept becomes a trend, it will take on many forms. Confiscation of temple, church, or synagogue funds may therefore soon be on the table in a variety of countries." Continue reading →

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Caribbean and Central America Close Tax Loopholes

"In Panama, owners of bearer shares no longer have their anonymity ensured. In the Cayman Islands, tax information will soon be shared under the US Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA). These are just two striking examples of how jurisdictions in Central America and the Caribbean are cracking down on tax cheats. For decades, Switzerland prided itself as a haven for the world’s most affluent, with strict provisions for privacy. But now the former advantages of isolation and non-compliance are becoming a liability due to the limitations they place on access to the global financial system." Continue reading →

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IMF Discusses A Super Tax Of 10% On All Savings In Eurozone

"One of the latest reports from the IMF discusses a super taxation of 10% on savings in the Eurozone. That would solve the debt problem in most sovereign countries. It would be an alternative of higher taxes or spending cuts. The economists who wrote the paper hasten to say that it is a theoretical proposal. Still, it appears to be 'an efficient solution' for the debt problem. For a group of 15 European countries such a measure would bring the debt ratio to 'acceptable' levels, i.e. comparable to levels before the 2008 crisis. One of the graphs (page 14) is also noteworthy: 'Relative to previous projections, fiscal deficits are somewhat larger in most countries, reflecting a weaker economic environment.'" Continue reading →

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It Won’t Stay in Vegas: The Metro PD’s Homeland Security Theater

"Las Vegas, like every other city, does face a lethal threat from people who consider themselves emancipated from the law and entitled to kill without accountability. Like the Sovereigns, those people speak in a specialized language that supposedly legitimizes their lawlessness, and that makes no obvious sense to rational people who don’t belong to their clique. The Las Vegas branch of this domestic terrorist movement maintains a fraudulent 'court' where criminal actions, up to and including murder, are ratified. However, the crimes committed by that state-sanctioned terrorist syndicate are neither hypothetical, nor uncommon." Continue reading →

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Texas lawman sentenced to 1 year prison for protecting drug smugglers

"A Houston-based federal judge Monday ordered a former Starr County lawman to spend a year in prison after he admitted to taking money from drug traffickers in exchange for police information. Ramirez was arrested on March 12. He pleaded guilty a month after to a violation of the Hobbs Act, which deals with public servants taking bribes. According to court records, from January 2006 to September 2008, Ramirez accepted about $30,000 from drug traffickers in exchange for the location of Texas Department of Public Safety troopers. Before his arrest, Ramirez was in charge of the jail division for the Starr County Sheriff’s Office." Continue reading →

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Reports: Speeding Not A Cause Of Child Accidents

"In 72 percent of the accidents, investigators believed the child's failure to look properly was at least in part to blame. Another 31 percent involved reckless behavior on the part of the child, including playing in the road in 11 percent of incidents. On the part of the driver, 8 percent failed to look properly, and another 8 percent could not see the child because of a parked car or other obstruction. In 3 percent of cases the driver was reckless, and in less than 1 percent of cases was 'traveling too fast for conditions' (which is not necessarily exceeding the posted speed limit). All together, in 71 percent of the incidents, the driver was not found to be at fault." Continue reading →

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Ohio Supreme Court Takes Up Photo Enforcement Kangaroo Courts

"Toledo, Columbus and Dayton have joined Redflex Traffic Systems of Australia in petitioning the justices to overturn a Court of Appeals decision from June that found Toledo's administrative review process unconstitutional. The ruling has city officials worried about the potential for losing millions if the court decides Toledo deprived vehicle owners of their due process rights by usurping jurisdiction in setting up administrative panels that offer the accused less of a chance to win their appeal. Redflex in its court briefs claims a loss in the case could cost cities $100 million. Optotraffic, a competing camera vendor, predicted 'copy-cat lawsuits' would be filed in every jurisdiction." Continue reading →

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