Tag Archives: ACA Global

Video of May 2, 2014 Toronto debate on Citizenship taxation of #Americansabroad – Professor Michael Kirsch and Dr. Bernard Schneider


As you know, on May 2, 2014 ACA Global Foundation sponsored a debate on “21st Century Taxation of Americans Abroad: Citizenship-based taxation vs. Residence-based taxation. The debate featured Professor Michael Kirsch of Notre Dame University law school and Dr. Bernard Schneider of Queen Mary University in London, UK.
The debate has previously been discussed here and here. In addition, I used the ideas in the debate for a separate post on question of what connection to the United States should be required to justify citizenship taxation.
The video of the debate as been released and is referenced in the above tweet.
I reiterate my thanks to ACA Global, Professor Kirsch and Dr. Schneider.
I welcome your comments.

Taxation of #AmericansAbroad in the 21st Century: "Country of birth" Taxation vs. "Country of Residence" Taxation

Update January 2018: This post has been updated with some new links and discussion.

Prologue – The “Story Of The Century

Since July 1, 2014, the United States via threats threats of the FATCA Sanction, has begun a “world wide hunt” for people born in the United States (or are otherwise deemed to be “U.S. tax subjects”). A compilation of my posts describing the mechanics, effects and costs of FATCA and the FATCA IGAs is available in “The Little Red FATCA Book“. FATCA has spawned litigation against both the U.S. and Canadian Governments. A discussion of the “Alliance For The Defense Of Canadian Sovereignty” FATCA lawsuit against the Government of Canada is available here. Some thoughts on the “U.S. FATCA Legal Action” lawsuit against the U.S. Government are here. Both lawsuits have been vigorously defended by the respective Governments. The U.S. lawsuit may have reached the end of its viability (lack of standing and various procedural issues). The Canadian lawsuit continues.

With respect to those “Born In The USA”, the U.S. legal “claim of tax jurisdiction” is two-fold:
1. Those born in the United States (unless they have relinquished U.S. citizenship” for both tax and nationality purposes) are U.S. citizens.

2. Citizens of the United States are subject to the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code regardless of where they live in the world. The Internal Revenue Code (“IRC”) includes but is not limited to the obligation to pay taxes according to U.S. tax rules. The “IRC” also includes a wide range of “penalty laden reporting requirements“. The “IRC” also strongly discourages (through penalties and sanctions) participation in non-U.S. pension plans, non-U.S. investments (including non-U.S. mutual funds), the use of “non-U.S. business corporations” and (incredibly) non-U.S. spouses. (Even the divorce of a U.S. citizen and non-citizen is likely to be significantly more expensive.) As a result, the “extra-territorial application of the “IRC”) has the effect of exercising U.S. “control” over the lives of it’s citizens who do NOT live in the United States. Therefore, it is clear that the “extra-territorial” application of the “IRC” both (1) imposes the full force of the “IRC” on the resident/citizens of other countries and (2) has the effect of imposing the U.S. cultural values mandated in the “IRC” on those other countries. One can identify a list of the “10 Commandments” which are imposed on Americans abroad in an FBAR and FATCA world.

(Note that with the exception of U.S. citizens and “permanent residents”, as per Internal Revenue Code Sec. 7701(b), an actual physical connection to the United States is required to establish U.S. tax residency.)
As the article referenced in the above tweet makes clear, many people “claimed” by the United States as “tax residents”have never had any connection to the United States except that they were born there. The article includes:
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#Americansabroad: Thoughts on the May 2/14 Toronto Conference on CBT vs. RBT – #FATCA #FBAR


The May 2, 2014 Toronto Conference on U.S. citizenship-based taxation was a great success. As the ACA Global announcement of results describes the morning and afternoon had separate themes and participants.
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Conference on "Citizenship-based taxation" – May 2/14 Toronto, Canada


I am very proud to participate in (what I believe to be) the first ever conference organized to debate issues surrounding “citizenship-based taxation”. The conference has been organized by “ACA Global“. The conference was reported on the Maple Sandbox blog as follows:
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