This meeting will be held February 1 from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm in the Kingston and Frontenac Library Central Branch in the Delahaye Room @ 130 Johnson St. Kingston.
The Kingston session will be identical to that of the January 25 Toronto meeting and is organized by a small group of Canadians who don’t like the treatment of U.S.-Canadians by U.S. Congress.
The speaker, Toronto attorney John Richardson, will outline concerns of Canadians impacted by the US tax laws and help you identify and understand your options. John has a website at citizenshipsolutions.ca
Some key take home messages at the Toronto meeting were:
—There is plenty of time (really!) to hold off making a decision on how to act. DO NOT RUSH INTO MAKING ANY DECISION.
—UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD YOU CALL A TAX PROFESSIONAL FOR HELP BEFORE FIRST EDUCATING YOURSELF. Be careful and skeptical if you attend any meeting given only by a “tax professional.” You need to receive balanced information.
—Are you really a U.S citizen? Mr. Richardson feels that it is an “open question” (and I strongly agree) whether the U.S. has the right to deem people born abroad to U.S. parents as U.S. citizens.
—Most options unfortunately have some downside.
WHILE YOU ARE WAITING TO ATTEND THE MEETING IN KINGSTON AND LATER MEETINGS IN CANADA:
–Write your Canadian MP TODAY and complain about FATCA taking away your rights. You must tell your MP that if he/she votes for the agreement between Canada and US to implement FATCA you will never vote for that person again or for their party.
–If you care (as I think you should) about changing US tax laws, just send an email to the Senate Finance Committee which has asked for suggestions. You can say simply for example that you ask that Congress change the tax rules from citizenship based taxation to residence based taxation. If you have privacy concerns, send the email from a public computer. You might obtain ideas on your submission from the lengthy submission Mr. Richardson made (with Willard Yates and Stephen Kish) which can be found on John’s website. The email address is: tax_reform@finance.senate.gov and don’t worry about the deadline date.
–You may not like the Republicans, but sign their anti-FATCA petition anyway when it comes out (keep following https://www.facebook.com/republicansoverseas). This petition will be used to provide more leverage to change the minds of US congresspeople so that they stop harming us.
Some of our organizers at the Toronto Meeting:
Thank you for posting this. I hope to see as many as possible at this meeting. I really want to reach out to newcomers. I know people are silently just now figuring out what FATCA might mean for them. Arming yourself with as much information as possible before doing anything is essential.
I am no where near Kingston and will not even attend for anonmity reason.
Can some ask some question?
I had a Green Card 34 years ago threw it out. I was in USA for little more then a year.
If I can prove I have been a Canadian resident since then can I go to Canadian courts to dispute US personhood.
I was told card was no good after being out for 1 year.
For US duals they have post dated CLN.
Any such thing for Green Cards.?
I talked to a couple of Canadian immigration attorney no real info.
George: My personal opinion is you have nothing to worry about. I don’t think anyone is going to track down someone who had a Green Card for one year over three decades ago. I don’t believe IRS has any knowledge of or interest in you.
At the same time, I am not aware of any equivalent of a back-dated CLN for former Green Card holders.
Not legal advice, but I think you’re home free.
I will ask the question on February 8–unless Atticus asks it on February 1.
I’ll put this question in a notebook to ask it at our meeting on Saturday and try to get back to you after the meeting with a response.
I agree with Lynne, I don’t think someone who held a Green Card decades ago for one year is going to be the moving target at all.
Blaze
Financing Supreme Court challenge.
To remain anonymous some people may not want to contribute to a Supreme Court Challenge to a lawyer who is leading a charge. A check to that lawyer may raise a red flag to our banks. Especially when you are well hidden. In talking to the constitutional lawyer see, if there is a way that some person can make a confidential pledge, that will be paid if he win the Supreme Court case. You may discuss with lawyer and may open a cross thread with Issac Brook society on this idea.
Thank You
Blaze
Petros says that someone is willing to pursue a Supreme Court case right away. I am not certain if he misinterepts what you said. You may want to talk to him?
Thanks Murray
Atticus or Blaze
Can you find out from the Lawyer what is the Canadian law consequences if the self certification of non being a US tax person is incorrect? You may want to ask the question for people who own no USA assets in a brokerage account.
Thanks
Blaze & Atticus
Can you also ask lawyer how strong a precedent is set by by this legal case where a Canadian Bank tried to freeze assets.
http://uniset.ca/other/cs6/68OR2d379.html
Thank You if you can ask that questions.
George, I am going to print off the case you have sited and give it to the lawyer to look over in an in depth manner. I don’t think in the time given he’d be able to study the information and give a full response. I will ask if he can get back to me with his opinion.
Secondly, I will ask your Green Card holder question at the meeting.
I am going early to the room for set up and may have some time before the meeting to speak with him before question and answers are done.
The meeting in Kingston was a success! 40 people at times were there with a solid 26 staying for the duration of the meeting. There were Canadian military, nurses, retired persons, musicians and not one “rich overseas billionaire tax cheat” Everyone just wanted to know how to be in compliance or the best way to go about getting out of this situation, renouncing.
Some came to Canada as children and some were Americans with no Canadian citizenship yet. All were very, very concerned and worried. Several people spoke about health issues made worse because of this. High blood pressure that shot up, panic attacks and other issues.
The presenter talked about several options with the upshot being it is unfortunately probably best to renounce as there is little other way to get out of this and to live a normal life abroad.
I handed out business cards *thanks pacifica* and I put my home phone number on them for those who live near here. I want to do an out reach and be available for those going through the steps to get clear of this and or renounce. I’ll be sitting down for lunch soon with a few of them and hoping to make this a regular thing with smaller groups of people. Not because I am a professional in any sense but, because this is a very difficult process to have to go through and it does help to have someone local who has been through it. Someone you can call up for a coffee and see face to face. I hope as these people go out into our community that they are able to support others.
Most people were furiously taking notes and I feel they left the meeting with a lot more information than they had when they arrived. Kudos to MapleSandbox and Isaac Brock for organizing this and for making it happen. I feel we’re really making a difference to those just now finding out about this issue and what it means for their families.
On to London and good luck there!
Hi Atticus
Any answers to the question.
Thanks
“Your U.S. residency is considered to have ended when you ceased to be a lawful permanent resident or you began to be treated as a resident of another country under a tax treaty and do not waive treaty benefits.”
I guess this may be answer for not having an I-407. 34 year ago they told me 1 year out and green card was not valid.
In fact I have always filled Canadian income taxes. One year I had a partial income tax and the next year I filled as a Canadian resident at end of year. Of course IRS can rule differently. But I the Canadian courts will laugh at it.
George:They IRS has no interest in someone who lived in US for a year 34 years ago. They don’t have the resources to deal with their own residents now.
You were born in Canada. You are a lifelong Canadian citizen. The IRS doesn’t know anything about you.
Atticus
Were you able to ask those lawyer question on Benedict Arnold case and possibly back dated I-407 but it looks going by the rules, I quoted above I do not even need it.