Opinion: Accidental Americans in Canada can have big tax headaches http://t.co/yX0JuDWxY9 – True regardless of their filing status + #FBAR
— Citizenship Lawyer (@ExpatriationLaw) June 20, 2014
Interesting article by Byron Toben includes:
An accidental American is one who was born in the United States while his or her parents were visiting, studying or temporarily working there, or who was a “border baby” rushed across the border for birth in a nearby U.S. hospital a few miles away.
The U.S. is essentially the only country in the world that requires citizens domiciled abroad to file complicated income-tax forms annually, even though the vast majority would owe no U.S. taxes.
Accidental Americans were not identifiable until, in the aftermath of the mass murders on 9/11, all Canadians were newly required to have a Canadian passport to enter the United States. The passport shows the place of birth, and border guards began informing many often incredulous Canadians that they have been U.S. citizens for, say, 50 years, and would need a U.S. passport to enter the U.S.
Accountants have since informed such people that they now have to file income-tax returns going back three to seven years (related accountant fees of $3,000 to $20,000 have been reported).
Who could have know that the events of 911 would so change your life?
