Land Of The Flea

Hundreds fill New York’s Times Square to protest attack against Syria

"Hundreds of people protested at New York’s Times Square on Thursday over possible US plans to strike Syria’s regime which it believes to be behind a deadly chemical attack. Supporters of Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad, backers of the opposition who want a US intervention, and Americans who say they can’t stomach another war all took to the iconic Manhattan Square. 'US, NATO, hands off Syria,' chanted hundreds of protesters, weaving through thousands of tourists, some carrying pictures of Assad, and some just declaring themselves against another US war." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHundreds fill New York’s Times Square to protest attack against Syria

Hundreds fill New York’s Times Square to protest attack against Syria

"Hundreds of people protested at New York’s Times Square on Thursday over possible US plans to strike Syria’s regime which it believes to be behind a deadly chemical attack. Supporters of Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad, backers of the opposition who want a US intervention, and Americans who say they can’t stomach another war all took to the iconic Manhattan Square. 'US, NATO, hands off Syria,' chanted hundreds of protesters, weaving through thousands of tourists, some carrying pictures of Assad, and some just declaring themselves against another US war." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHundreds fill New York’s Times Square to protest attack against Syria

Hundreds fill New York’s Times Square to protest attack against Syria

"Hundreds of people protested at New York’s Times Square on Thursday over possible US plans to strike Syria’s regime which it believes to be behind a deadly chemical attack. Supporters of Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad, backers of the opposition who want a US intervention, and Americans who say they can’t stomach another war all took to the iconic Manhattan Square. 'US, NATO, hands off Syria,' chanted hundreds of protesters, weaving through thousands of tourists, some carrying pictures of Assad, and some just declaring themselves against another US war." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHundreds fill New York’s Times Square to protest attack against Syria

Federal Regulators Consider Seat Belt Ignition Interlocks on Automobiles

"The seatbelt ignition interlock would prevent the automobile from starting unless the seatbelt was clasped. Back in 1974 the government required interlocks on nearly all 1974 year model vehicles. However, public outcry led Congress to banish the mandate. This week the NHTSA reportedly rejected a petition from BMW that would allow the German automaker to skip certain crash testing requirements if it installed seatbelt interlocks in front seats. BMW outlined three different potential types of interlocks including one that would prevent the vehicle from being started. Another would prevent the driver from shifting out of Park and a third would allow the vehicle to be driven only at low speeds." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFederal Regulators Consider Seat Belt Ignition Interlocks on Automobiles

Cities Crackdown on Private Transport

"The Dallas City Council was scheduled to vote on a substantial city code rewrite that will redefine everything from who can dispatch a car to who can drive a limo to the cost of a limousine's off-the-lot sticker price (has to be more than $45,000). The rewrite will 'require limousine service to be prearranged at least 30 minutes before the service is provided.' The addendum item says 'the use of computer applications and other technologies by some providers of limousine service has distorted certain distinctions between limousines and taxicabs, and that it's high time the city 'establish those distinctions to help the public understand the differences between those types of passenger transportation services.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCities Crackdown on Private Transport

Non-American spouse of American abroad narrowly avoids becoming a U.S. person

"In February 2013, an IRS examiner combing over the couple’s return wanted to know whether the wife’s act of submitting a 'married filing jointly' Form 1040 had accidentally turned the husband into a U.S. person, even if they had not explicitly made a § 6013(g) election for a nonresident alien spouse to be treated as a resident alien for tax purposes. Such treatment would saddle him with an obligation to file Form 3520 on what the IRS hilariously calls 'foreign trusts' and what the husband probably thinks of as 'my local & fully-tax-compliant retirement account' — and since the would-be joint return apparently didn’t include any 3520s for him, the couple would have been subject to penalties." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNon-American spouse of American abroad narrowly avoids becoming a U.S. person

Seminal Moments

"They were big, intimidating fellows all decked out in dark, navy blue uniforms and bomber jackets. Each had their pants legs stuffed into black, leather boots, trying to go for that snazzy, SS look. None had the 'have a nice day' smile on their faces either. Now, I'm not a small guy, standing over 6' 2". But these guys were gorillas. Even the one female looked tough as galvanized nails. They were absolutely there to intimidate. I was both angry and curious. I was angry since I knew it was my taxes that paid for them to act like Xanax-fueled chimps. But I was also curious to see if all the stories of nasty US patrol guards from my Internet readings were true. I can assure you the answer is a resounding 'yes.'" Continue reading →

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The negative value of US citizenship

"It’s much easier to travel the world on a US passport than it is on a passport from, say, Syria, or Bangladesh — but, that said, there are countries which really don’t like admitting Americans, and if you already have a passport from Canada, or the EU, then you’re going to find it just as easy to travel as you would if you had one from the US. A green card holder can leave the US at any time, give up her green card, and thenceforth never have to pay a cent in US taxes, or even file a US tax return, ever again. This is an option which would be valued extremely highly by many Americans. By becoming a US citizen you essentially give up that option, as the likes of Eduardo Saverin have learned to their cost." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe negative value of US citizenship

Swiss banks face hefty fines under US tax deal

"The deal offers individual Swiss banks the opportunity to avoid US prosecution if they agree to pay 'substantial fines', disclose all of their cross-border activities, provide details on the accounts of US citizens, and give information on the sources and destinations of transferred funds in relation to secret American accounts. Each bank will set its own non-prosecution agreement or deferred-prosecution agreement with the US authorities under those terms. The fines will be assessed at 20-50 percent of the aggregate value of any undeclared accounts held by Americans, depending on the time they accounts were open — before 2009 or since then." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSwiss banks face hefty fines under US tax deal

Foreign Retirement Plans Seen Scrutinized in U.S. FATCA Effort

A U.S. tax crackdown is coming for foreign retirement plans. The U.S. has been pushing banks and individuals to report overseas assets, making it tougher to hide money abroad with new rules and penalties rolling out under the 2010 Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, known as Fatca. The next wave of scrutiny will cover retirement accounts, Bloomberg BNA reported. “The retirement community has been a little slower to catch up,” said Russell E. Hall, a senior consultant at Towers Watson. Foreign retirement plans generally must agree to report their U.S. account holders to avoid a 30 percent withholding tax on U.S.-sourced interest, dividends and proceeds from the sale of securities beginning July 1. Global companies with programs overseas will need to catalog their funded retirement plans to figure out which ones may be exempt, Hall said. Continue reading →

Continue ReadingForeign Retirement Plans Seen Scrutinized in U.S. FATCA Effort