Way Beyond the Beltway

An Insider on FATCA

Peter Dahlen — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:59:02 +0000

The Issac Brock Society offers an insider’s take on the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (“FATCA”), written by a former IRS attorney with extensive knowledge and expertise about how the IRS works, and how tax legislation is enacted. Interestingly, the author makes clear that the IRS does not make tax policy, emphasizing that: “Tax policy ...

Survey of Americans Abroad

Peter Dahlen — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 23:00:28 +0000

Americans abroad are a diverse group of people and Amanda Klekowski von Koppenfels, an American who works as a Lecturer in Migration and Politics at the University of Kent, Brussels, wants to tell their story. As part of her research work at the university, she is conducting a survey on Americans abroad. The purpose of ...

Happy Thanksgiving!

Peter Dahlen — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 21:10:09 +0000

Celebrating Thanksgiving abroad helps me focus my attention on gratitude. As an American abroad I often celebrate Thanksgiving in a vacuum while the rest of the society around me races along. Still, as we plan gatherings of Americans and source turkey, stuffing, cranberries and the other necessary fixings for our favorite Thanksgiving dishes, I notice ...

Americans in Canada feel compelled to divorce from the U.S.

Peter Dahlen — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 22:06:22 +0000

This Globe and Mail story of a mass citizenship renunciation recently came to my attention and it serves as a stark illustration of the reality of the sharp spike in renunciations over the past few years. According to the Globe and Mail, “Last year, 1,534 Americans renounced their U.S. citizenship – more than twice as ...

The Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act

Peter Dahlen — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 18:01:21 +0000

Starting in 2014, the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) will require foreign financial institutions to report on accounts held by US citizens. This means foreign financial institutions such as local banks, stock brokers, pension funds, insurance companies, etc. must to report directly to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) all clients who are “US persons” ...