8 responses to “Help Solve A Mystery”

1. 

   Samuel Adams

   December 6, 2013

   Dear Ms. Margot,
   I am so sorry you need help understanding the benefits of “citizenship based taxation.” Its a special deal for Americans living outside the homeland.
   Because we live outside the homeland, we get to enjoy an extra large helping of double-taxation with complicated forms and special penalties for mistakes. As an added bonus, we also get to avoid the hassle of having access to US public goods or services or having representation in Congress. We get all these benefits just for being Americans who live outside of the homeland. Its all in the name of “paying our fair share.”
   So with benefits like that, why on earth would Americans abroad be doing something so stupid as tossing their US passports in the trash bin?
   Ms. Margot, your’e an unbiased professional journalist, right? Then you’ll figure it out. You just need to open your eyes a bit.

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2. 

   OutragedCanadian

   December 7, 2013

   I tried to comment, but don’t have a facebook acccount. However, several of you did comment with some very pithy comments, so I don’t know what I could even add to it. I sincerely hope they DO undertake a serious investigation, The website says they are a consortium of 160 journalists in 60 countries.

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3. 

   calgary411

   December 7, 2013

   Outraged,
   I replied using her email address as it was referenced at the end of the article: mwilliams@icij.org.
   She had the names of three of my family on “her list.” I figured it was up to me to give her the story that went with those entries, which had nothing to do about “fleeing America with all our wealth.”
   So, late at night before I could actually sleep: http://isaacbrocksociety.ca/2013/10/21/we-are-not-a-myth-put-your-photo-on-the-tumblr-portrait-protest/comment-page-5/#comment-770338

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4. 

   Joe Blow

   December 7, 2013

   That journalist lady only needs to read Isaac Brock Society for a few minutes and her “mystery” will be solved.

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5. 

   AtticusinCanada

   December 8, 2013

   She’s got people pouring over her spreadsheet and is asking them to see if they know anyone on the list and then wants them to discuss the reasons the person renounced and to discuss more information? Why doesn’t she just ask directly of the people on the list. Why is she sending the general public on a witch hunt to find those who have renounced or relinquished. Frankly, the reasons people renounce are private unless that person chooses to discuss it. It’s not up to friends and family and casual contacts to be discussing such a personal decision with a journalist of sorts.

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6. 

   Blaze

   December 13, 2013

   Margot Williams “got an earful” of clues in solving the Mystery of the Fleeing Americans.
   She has followed up with another article: Americans Abroad Denouncing Offshore Tax Law’s Unintended Consequences.
   In addition to comments from individuals, she quotes accountant Roy Berg:

   And while the U.S. doesn’t get much tax money from it, he notes, the state gets a lot of personal information on millions of people forced to fill out the forms.
   “It’s very Orwellian.”

   Ms. Williams also links to a story by Global News reporter Patrick Cain on Why Are So Many Expats Giving Up Citizenship? It’s a Taxing Issue.
   In that article, Mr. Cain points out the number of renunciations in the Federal Register conflict with the numbers from the FBI.
   Ms, Williams says she will follow up on this. I hope she gets some answers.

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7. 

   Just Me

   December 14, 2013

   I have to give credit to Margot for continuing to dig and report the larger story. I sent her my revised.. FATCA begetting GATCA leading to a U.S. domestic DATCA narrative. I think all the rush and enthusiasm for the OECDs tax automatic data exchanges or GATCA and the impacts back on the homeland shores might be the issue that finally brings the DATCA onto the U.S. media radar…
   Of course, Mia, our friend, thinks it is all Conspiracy thinking! 🙂
   These stories might interest readers…
   FATCA: Rapidly becoming the global model
   http://bit.ly/1byQsOy
   OECD seeks inspiration from FATCA model
   http://bit.ly/1dk0oOY
   GATCA – Globalization of FATCA and Multilateral Exchange of Tax Information
   http://bit.ly/1h60Rqk

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8. 

   OutragedCanadian

   December 15, 2013

   @Blaze & Just Me, thanks for the links. Time to get caught up again, I took a couple of days away from FATCA to actually think about Christmas instead for a while.
   I liked reading the first sentence of Ms Williams followup article, “produced heated reactions from readers”. I laughed and thought, I BET!

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