Fugitive Tax-Slaves

Pakistan hatches biometric ID scheme to claw back unpaid taxes

"Pakistan's National Data Base and Registration Authority (NADRA) aims to put every Pakistani adult into one of the world's largest multi-biometric databases. 'We have 452 static centers where people are coming and giving this data, we have 250 mobile vans, we have a motorcycle service, and we (even) have people up in the mountains -- skiers and mountaineers with man-pack units,' says chairman Tariq Malik whose mission it is to log every potential taxpayer in Pakistan. 'We are going to block their ID cards, and we are going to block their bank accounts, and we are going to block their foreign travels until the either pay or file an appeal,' says Hakeem." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPakistan hatches biometric ID scheme to claw back unpaid taxes

Another Hypocritical Leftist Caught with His Hand in the Tax-Haven Cookie Jar

"Treasury secretary nominee Jack Lew will face questions at his confirmation hearing next week about an investment fund registered in a Cayman Islands building that has been called a notorious site for tax haven abuse. Lew held between $50,000 and $100,000 in the fund… The investment fund could become an issue during the upcoming hearing because Lew’s job as Treasury secretary would give him a major role in shaping the administration’s tax policy. The president has targeted tax haven abuse as a major problem in the country’s tax system." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAnother Hypocritical Leftist Caught with His Hand in the Tax-Haven Cookie Jar

US tax rules sour life for Americans abroad

"Scott Schmith is a patriot and a US military veteran but he is no longer a US citizen: Sick of complex tax rules making his life in Switzerland miserable he recently handed back his passport. 'It was a pretty big decision and there was a bit of anxiety,' said the 50-year-old photographer who served in the 1990-91 Gulf war and has been living in Switzerland since 1993. But once he received his Swiss passport and handed back his US one last September, 'it was like a load of weight off my shoulders.' A growing number of American expats are opting to give up their citizenship rather than deal with the increasing difficulties imposed on them by US tax authorities." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUS tax rules sour life for Americans abroad

Minnesota’s Snowbird Tax

"Income earned in the state is already taxed regardless of residence status, but many retirees or vacationers own a home in the state and live there only for the summer. The new tax would hit income not earned in Minnesota by those who don't currently spend the requisite six months and a day in the state to qualify as a taxable resident. So, for example, if you returned to the land of 10,000 taxes only for July and August, you'd suddenly have to pay the taxman in St. Paul on dividend checks sent to your main residence in St. Pete. The state Revenue Department predicts the tax would raise $30 million over two years." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMinnesota’s Snowbird Tax

Obama’s Tax Crackdown to Target Foreigners’ Accounts in US Banks

"The Obama administration may soon ask Congress for the power to require more disclosure by U.S. banks of information about foreign clients' accounts to those clients' home governments, as part of a crackdown on tax evasion, sources said. The information-sharing effort stems from a fight by the Treasury Department against offshore tax evasion under the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, or FATCA, adopted in 2010 and set to begin taking effect at the end of 2013. At the heart of FATCA is a law requiring more disclosure by non-U.S. banks of information about Americans' accounts to the Internal Revenue Service." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObama’s Tax Crackdown to Target Foreigners’ Accounts in US Banks

Ron Paul: Immigration ‘Reform’ Will Turn the US into a Police State

"The devil is in the details, and the details of the McCain plan are deeply disturbing. To secure the borders he is calling for a massive increase in drones flying over US territory, spying on US citizens along the border – and presumably within the 100 mile 'border zone' over which Department of Homeland Security claims jurisdiction. Additionally, the McCain/Schumer plan calls for a nationwide, mandatory E-Verify program, which forces employers to act as federal immigration agents, and forces American citizens to prove to the government that they are allowed to work. E-Verify is an East Germany-like program that creates a massive federal database of every American citizen." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRon Paul: Immigration ‘Reform’ Will Turn the US into a Police State

Rick Perry urges Californians to relocate to Texas

"In a new radio ad, the Republican governor urges California businesses to relocate to Texas to avoid high tax rates and regulations. The ad will air in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento, Inland Empire and San Diego. 'Building a business is tough, but I hear building a business in California is next to impossible,' Perry says in the ad. 'This is Texas Gov. Rick Perry, and I have a message for California businesses: come check out Texas. There are plenty of reasons Texas has been named the best state for doing business for eight years running.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRick Perry urges Californians to relocate to Texas

Rick Perry urges Californians to relocate to Texas

"In a new radio ad, the Republican governor urges California businesses to relocate to Texas to avoid high tax rates and regulations. The ad will air in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento, Inland Empire and San Diego. 'Building a business is tough, but I hear building a business in California is next to impossible,' Perry says in the ad. 'This is Texas Gov. Rick Perry, and I have a message for California businesses: come check out Texas. There are plenty of reasons Texas has been named the best state for doing business for eight years running.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRick Perry urges Californians to relocate to Texas

Expatriation – Everyone’s Doing it, Maybe You Should Too

"Take a look at these names and you will know what unites this disparate group: Pop icon Tina Turner; Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin; French movie star Gerard Depardieu. These three individuals have in common good sense and a keen grasp of the bottom line on a profit and loss sheet. And they all recently have been in the spotlight for ending their native citizenship and moving their residence elsewhere. They were sensationalized by the news media and accused by politicians of unpatriotically avoiding high taxes at home." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingExpatriation – Everyone’s Doing it, Maybe You Should Too

Still no list of Q4 2012 ex-Americans in the Federal Register

"If you, I, or any other U.S. person abroad fails to report some information to the U.S. government under Chapter 61, Subchapter A, Part II, Subpart A of the Internal Revenue Code, we might have to pay the U.S. government tens of thousands of dollars of fines, regardless of the actual underlying tax deficiency. If the U.S. government fails to report some information to us under the exact same Subpart, we get zip. So don’t get too excited when you hear that today’s Federal Register is missing something; after all, it’s only the ninth time in sixteen quarters that Timothy Franz Geithner has violated this single provision of the law of the land." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingStill no list of Q4 2012 ex-Americans in the Federal Register