4 ms·

"Tax Cheating" is evidently another way of saying "sovereign state". The Swiss can do whatever they want. We don't tax the world. Sadly they capitulated in w

• forrestthewoods 11y ago
  If every country got to tax money the way the wanted the taxes on $1 of revenue would be $1.75.
  • late2part 11y ago
    True but... most countries have tax treaties and tax codes such that people are not double taxed. Source: was expat.
• newman314 11y ago
  Unfortunately, the IRS does not agree. They want to tax US citizens everywhere
  • muloka 11y ago
    Yup and they're working on correcting this with FATCA.
• ForHackernews 11y ago
  What a silly response. Of course the Swiss can do whatever they want. The IRS doesn't have any interest in taxing Swiss people living in Switzerland, earning Swiss francs working in Switzerland. But people and organizations doing business in the United States, and all US citizens, have legal US tax obligations. If you don't like it, feel free to renounce your citizenship and avoid doing business in any US markets.
  • sneak 11y ago
    Legality aside, how do US citizens (loosely defined as people who were born in the US decades ago) who do not live or work in the US have any moral obligation to pay taxes to the US?
    • ForHackernews 11y ago
      When they travel, they may take advantage of visa-free entry into many countries, negotiated through treaties with the US. If they get into legal trouble abroad, they enjoy consular protection from the US State Department. They enjoy the right to vote in US elections, and the (at least theoretical) right to move to the US should they fancy it. If they really aren't interested, it's a pretty straightforward process to walk into the nearest embassy and opt-out: http://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal-considerations/us-citizenship-laws-policies/renunciation-of-citizenship.html http://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal-consideratio...
      • tomc1985 11y ago
        Actually the process is not so straightforward. They still tax you for years afterwards, for one thing. I've also heard that getting the US gov't to actually accept one's passport resignation can challenging, especially if they think you owe them money.
      • bsder 11y ago
        It's not straightforward at all. There are a bunch of financial implications that are very difficult to navigate.
        • fancyketchup 11y ago
          What financial implications are there, aside from "The IRS wants to make sure you're not leaving just before an anticipated windfall to avoid taxes?"
          • 11y ago
• zouhair 11y ago
  The US can still bomb Switzerland.
• rdtsc 11y ago
  Sounds good on HN, but that's not how it works. The law is the law, US persons owe money wether they are living in US or not. > The Swiss can do whatever they want. They can, they are very sovereign, and they chose to play along with American IRS. Probably a rational choice vis-a-vis the pressure and downsides they could receive if they don't. Some banks chose to not cater to and not accept US persons at all.
• vacri 11y ago
  > The Swiss can do whatever they want ... Sadly they capitulated in what was naked Imperial aggression by a foreign power. So you're unwilling to assign a moral value to Swiss actions, but are willing to assign moral values to the actions of others? Yes, the Swiss can run their country however they want - but so can everyone else, even if it includes not being friendly to the Swiss. This is just the 'consequence-free speech' argument scaled up to national size.