Posts Tagged ‘Civil liberties-USA’
Facebook Co-Founder Unfriends USA…Now the Empire Strikes Back
Brazilian-born Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin relinquished his U.S. citizenship late last year. As an expatriate, Saverin must pay an “exit tax” on the value of any unrealized gains in his worldwide estate, less a $636,000 exclusion for 2011. I’m not privy to billionaire Saverin’s financial affairs, but I have no reason to doubt his statement [...]
Are You the Property of Your Government?
As a former U.S. citizen who has given up U.S. citizenship, I’ve visited dozens of countries using my Commonwealth of Dominica passport. One of the most interesting destinations has been the Republic of Cuba. Not being a U.S. citizen makes the process of visiting Cuba much easier. Due to a longstanding U.S. embargo against Cuba, [...]
When the USA Rejects Your Expatriation
While you have an absolute right to give up your U.S. citizenship, you must make your intention to expatriate crystal-clear. A former client recently discovered this for himself. After acquiring a second passport, he subsequently made an appointment at a U.S. consulate and filed the paperwork to give up his U.S. citizenship. After a considerable [...]
FATCA: Big Brother Goes Global
Sometimes people ask what I fear most. My answer isn’t really what they expect. It’s not riots in central cities, a collapse of food supplies or other essential infrastructure, a terrorist attack, or even the growing U.S. police state. All of these threats are real, but all of them can be dealt with successfully through [...]
Growing Numbers of Tax Refugees Exit USA—Permanently
If you’re a U.S. citizen or long-term permanent resident (“green card” holder), you have a unique responsibility: you must pay tax on your worldwide income, even if you live outside the United States. Not to mention capital gains tax, gift tax, and estate tax. Numerous additional obligations come with U.S. citizenship or permanent resident status. [...]
Judge Overturns Civil Forfeiture by DHS Goons
I recently had an unpleasant encounter with an employee of the Department of Homeland Security’s Transportation Security Administration when I passed through an airport security checkpoint. The young man became belligerent when I refused to proceed through a body scanner on my way to board my flight. Raising his voice, he told me that I [...]
Congress to U.S. Citizens: Pay Your Income Tax or Forfeit Your Passport
One of the strongest enforcement mechanisms any government has over its citizens is to restrict their ability to travel internationally. Since international travel to almost anywhere requires a passport, requiring citizens to adhere to specified rules to obtain this travel document is a highly effective mechanism of social control. Many governments therefore temporarily or permanently [...]
When Can Police Force You to Decrypt Your Data?
Can police in the United States to force you to unlock an encrypted hard disk—or individual files on your PC—for inspection? A pair of federal appeals court decisions issued on February 23 clarified the murky answers to these questions. The answer is basically: If police know what you encrypted, they can make you decrypt it [...]
Can the U.S. Government Involuntarily Revoke Your Citizenship?
Many countries punish political enemies by stripping them of their nationality. In just the last century: In 1915, France introduced a law giving the government authority to “denaturalize” naturalized citizens with “enemy” origins. Belgium enacted legislation in 1922 revoking the naturalization of citizens who had committed “anti-national” acts during World War I. In 1926, Italy [...]
Keeping America Safe from…Cigars
One of the responsibilities that must keep President Obama awake at night is to keep track of exactly who America’s enemies really are. Fortunately, he has a government agency to rely on for that purpose—the intrepid bureaucrats at the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control. As soon as a president officially declares that a specific [...]