Rex Murphy: Without his cabinet stars, Harper is left to sell himself. And that’s not something he’s very good at

National Post

Due to a mixture of causes — professional, personal and legal — the Conservatives have been losing some of the biggest names on their front bench.

The most recent and dramatic departure was Dean del Mastro, under the shadow of a criminal conviction for breach of election law. Peter MacKay left last month for family and personal reasons. James Moore went to see to the health of his young son, Spencer. And before all these departures, the most visible and effective of Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s ministers, save for Jason Kenny perhaps, John Baird said farewell to the mixed delights of Parliament Hill and the inner circle for a second career in business.

All, all are gone, the old familiar faces. That’s the refrain of an unfailingly anthologized poem by Charles Lamb, and while it’s a bit of a trapeze act to link the infinitely gentle, sweet author of Imperfect…

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Renouncing US citizenship? How the S. 877A “Exit Tax” may apply to your Canadian assets – 15 Parts

https://twitter.com/USCitizenAbroad/status/613538939585040384

Citizenship Taxation - Theory vs. Reality

This is a 15-part series which is designed to provide you with some basic education on:

How the U.S. S. 877A Exit Tax rules work; and
 
How they particularly affect Canadians with a U.S. birthplace, who lived most of their lives in Canada.
 

 
The 15 parts are:
 
Part 1 – April 1, 2015 – “Facts are stubborn things” – The results of the “Exit Tax”
 
Part 2 – April 2, 2015 –“How could this possibly happen? “Exit Taxes” in a system of residence based taxation vs. Exit Taxes in a system of “citizenship (place of birth) taxation”

 
Part 3 – April 3, 2015 – “The “Exit Tax” affects “covered expatriates” – what is a “covered expatriate”?”
 
Part 4 – April 4, 2015 – “You are a “covered expatriate” How the “Exit Tax” is actually calculated”
 
Part 5 – April 5, 2015…

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It’s 72 Hours Until FBARs are Due – Do You Know Where Your Children Are?

https://twitter.com/USCitizenAbroad/status/614815612993437696

Filing an FBAR is a “rite of passage” for all Americans. It starts with the children.

Citizenship Taxation - Theory vs. Reality

97 Hours Until #FBARs due & Hey! Don’t 4get Ur US Person-Kids :Children,Taxes & #FBAR’s –Not Mere Child’s Play! http://t.co/eMwBFs5v91

? U.S. Expat Canada (@USExpatCanada) June 27, 2015

At one minute to midnite, there will be 72 hours left for ALL US Persons to get their affairs in order and get their FBARs filed. And don’t forget, you cannot get an extension for FBAR.

Let’s take a moment to review just exactly what it is that FinCen does:

FinCEN’s mission is to safeguard the financial system from illicit use and combat money laundering and promote national security through the collection, analysis, and dissemination of financial intelligence and strategic use of financial authorities.

“Whaaaat? My chequeing account at Scotiabank is related to possible illicit use of funds, money laundering or other crimes that will affect the financial system and even worse, the national security of the United States? That…

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Cook v. Tait 27: The US Government uses the fact of “U.S. citizenship” to control #offshore banks

"The US gov is attacking a bank bc it treated US citizens the same as anyone else and didn't deny them services" https://t.co/IScjNt1Zi0

— U.S. Citizen Abroad (@USCitizenAbroad) June 27, 2015

The above tweet references a post at the “Citizenship taxation Facebook Group“.

The post raises questions that include the following:

Can a Swiss bank be sanctioned because it fails to discriminate against U.S. citizens? Can the United States ensure that its citizens be subjected to discrimination because they are U.S. citizens? This is what is happening with FATCA and the the FATCA IGAs.

Should U.S. citizens be required to live in a world where, if they are outside the United States, they are permitted only the freedoms that the U.S. Government allows?

Interesting questions indeed.

The post about the “Non-prosecution agreement” entered into between the U.S. Department of Justice and thw Swiss Bank EKS. This was discussed on Jack Townsend’s blog as follows:

Federal Tax Crimes: Another Swiss Bank Enters DPA Under US DOJ Swiss B… http://t.co/yHcCoNUhvV – USG uses #FBAR to control #offshore banks

— U.S. Citizen Abroad (@USCitizenAbroad) June 27, 2015

Mr. Townsend reports that:

It’s Time to Consider Litigation Against U.S. Citizenship-based Taxation

https://www.facebook.com/groups/AmericanExpatriates/permalink/482537028579041

https://twitter.com/USCitizenAbroad/status/613538939585040384

Citizenship Taxation - Theory vs. Reality

“Cook v. Tait” – Book of posts https://t.co/ENUaLAQ4v3 – Does citizenship taxation make sense in the modern world? Will it survive #FATCA?

? U.S. Citizen Abroad (@USCitizenAbroad) May 6, 2015

As interest in a possible CBT suit grows, we would like to discuss CBT as an issue in and of itself, as raised in this series of posts “Cook v Tait 1-23.”

These will be available online at:

citizenshiptaxation.wordpress.com
www.facebook.com/groups/citizenshiptaxation

Over the last few years, some of these have been posted at Brock, some at https://renounceuscitizenship.wordpress.com while others have appeared elsewhere.

We are close to announcing that a lawsuit will be filed (not necessarily by Brock or not necessarily the Alliance for the Defence of Canadian Sovereignty) but by a small group of individuals who feel this is absolutely necessary in order to cut at the heart of/the source of, how the US abuses the lives of expats and…

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#FBAR and #OVDP Victims On Streaming Media

 

 

 

Obama's choice to head CIA faces grilling over secret memo that justified killing of Americans abroad without evidence via drone strikes

https://twitter.com/USCitizenAbroad/status/612332322705293312

National Post

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama’s choice to head the CIA faces a Senate Intelligence Committee confirmation hearing just hours after lawmakers are expected to receive a classified report providing the rationale for drone strikes targeting Americans working with al-Qaida overseas.

John Brennan, the White House counterterrorism chief and Obama’s nominee to run the nation’s spy agency, helped manage the drone program. The confirmation hearing Thursday sets the stage for a public airing of some of the most controversial programs in the covert war on al-Qaida, from the deadly drone strikes to the CIA’s use of interrogation techniques like waterboarding during President George W. Bush’s administration.

Obama directed the Justice Department to provide access to the secret document to members of the Senate and House intelligence committees, an administration official said Wednesday. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., the Senate committee’s chairman, said the legal opinion would be provided to her committee by…

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