International Living

Shanghai Introduction

"Shanghai is the world's largest city, when considering population size living within city limits -- not counting suburbs. With 18 million people, it if filled with action and ideal people-watching conditions, with its densely-packed population. Shanghai is one of the world's most modern cities, which might surprise those who think that China is not yet a developed nation. Glistening new skyscrapers make this the largest collection of tall buildings on Earth. It is a great place to discover on foot." Continue reading →

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Scam City – 2012 TV Series

"Every year, hundreds of millions of tourists head off in pursuit of adventure in foreign lands - and each year, millions of them get a little more adventure than they bargained for. Anyone can be a victim of a crime but it seems to come naturally to tourists. But while you try to avoid the thieves and con artists, economist and author Conor Woodman actively seeks them out. Travelling to the world’s great cities with an undercover team and hidden cameras, Conor exposes the ruthless ploys used to steal your hard-earned holiday cash by getting himself scammed, robbed and conned so you won’t." Continue reading →

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How to buy EU citizenship

"The touts were easy to spot, having practically set up stall outside government ministries and the Romanian consulate. They wore pouches around the waist and carried business cards in their hands. At the gates of official buildings they huddled together, drinking coffee or speaking intently into mobile phones. For €700, all the essential citizenship documents could be arranged within 15 months. Payment of €1,000 guaranteed the documents within 10 months. Meanwhile in Chisinau, several Moldovans said they had used their new nationality to take jobs in the EU. All said they had migrated in order to support families struggling in dire poverty." Continue reading →

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FATCA, Place of Birth in Passports & Second Class Citizenship

"Place of birth was first added to the U.S. passport designed in 1917. An October 4, 1963 staff study by the Passport Office on 'Place of Birth' information in the United States Passport reflects 'the passport used during World War I was the first in which including the place of birth of the passport holder was mandatory as part of the identification of the bearer, probably was a wartime travel control measure. The item was included in all subsequent revisions of the passport format, down to and including the present issuances.'" Continue reading →

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Geneva car show opens amid industry gloom

"Switzerland, the host of what is one of the auto industry's biggest events, is a rare bright spot on the crisis-hit continent. The Swiss, who do not belong to the EU, saw new car registrations jump 2.4 percent last year from an already record year in 2011, with 431,000 new registrations. For the neighbouring EU nations, however, the end of the tunnel remains out of sight and most experts refuse to guess when, if ever, the market will come roaring back and hit its pre-crisis 2007 level of 16 million cars sold." Continue reading →

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US Unlikely To Crack China FATCA Agreement

"FATCA has been created to track down the offshore financial assets of US taxpayers and make the institution concerned reveal details so that tax can be collected. Now China is telling the US that there will be so few US citizens holding Chinese bank accounts that the cost of implementing FATCA outweighs the benefit to the nation’s financial institutions. The Chinese have also pointed out that even the opportunity of signing an IGA which would allow them to get details of Chinese taxpayers in the US would also serve minimal benefit to the government." Continue reading →

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Obamacare tax on unearned income cannot be offset by foreign tax credits

"I am getting more and more confirmation from unrelated sources that the Obama 3.8% tax on unearned income cannot be offset by the Foreign Tax Credits of U.S. citizens abroad. To put it simply: U.S. citizens abroad, who via taxation in their country of residence, pay for health care in their country of residence, are now required to pay for health care for U.S. residents. Oh well: I guess that’s consistent with the definition of citizenship that Obama gave in his State of the Union address. U.S. citizens abroad must accept their obligations to those remaining inside the U.S." Continue reading →

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Avoiding the Snowbirds’ IRS trap

"Their 'border binder' contains a detailed snapshot of their lives, tangible proof of who they are, where they live for most of the year, who they bank with, even their credit card statements. Like the other 70,000 members of the Canadian Snowbird Association, the Slacks would never leave home without it. Overkill? Not if you don’t want to be treated like a U.S. taxpayer. Snowbirds tagged as a 'substantial presence' can still dodge the bullet on U.S. taxes. But they will need to file 'Form 8840 Closer Connection Exception Statement for Aliens' with the IRS. Failure to file this form could result in hefty fines, even if no taxes were owed." Continue reading →

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Canadian citizenship-stripping plan good politics but dodgy policy

"Immigration Minister Jason Kenney’s plan to strip Canadian terrorists of their citizenship is clever Conservative politics. There’s a feeling out there that just too many people are using Canada as a country of convenience — that they obtain citizenship to take advantage of programs like medicare but that their real loyalties are elsewhere. Now he’s taken advantage of a 2012 terrorist outrage in Bulgaria to advance the far more controversial idea of giving Ottawa the right to strip dual nationals of their Canadian citizenship. Native-born Canadians who also happen to be dual nationals could have their Canadian citizenship revoked by fiat." Continue reading →

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