4 ms·

Stand up for ex-pats how, exactly? They owe taxes, that's all.

by Hyena 15y ago

yoyar 15y ago
You don't understand the issue. The IRS is going after people who owe nothing in taxes but haven't filed. Some are senior citizens and may be totally unaware that they were supposed to file. The US gov't is bankrupt and desperate for money and they don't care who's lives they ruin. They're trying to squeeze as much money out of anyone they can lay their hands on.
- Hyena 15y ago
  I understand the issue perfectly well, thanks; particularly, I understand that it should hardly motivate histrionics.
- yoyar 15y ago
  @Hyena No, you don't. Which is clearly apparent based on your previous comment, which was incorrect. Calling my statement hysterical isn't an argument either. Claiming that you do understand doesn't make your statement any less incorrect.
  - JoachimSchipper 15y ago
    [Psst, you can reply to deeply nested comments if you click "link" first. Note that there is a reason for the "flamewar timeout", though.]
    - yoyar 15y ago
      Thanks for the Pro-Tip! Now I know. :)
  - Hyena 15y ago
    You're right, apparently I did not understand the issue.
- TheCondor 15y ago
  The law is that if you're a US citizen, you pay income tax, period. As I understand it, it's income no matter where it is earned. There are some loop holes, you can get out of paying it up to some amount (I think it's in the $90k range) if you claim it as living expenses or something and then the foreign banks and businesses may not report your income to the US but that doesn't oblige you not to pay it. You have to file the return to show that you own nothing and claim the deductions to make that so, and that may well be the case. If you don't file and they can determine your income then can't it be taxed at whatever the rate is for your income? Moreover, there are penalties for not filing, such that it's in your best interest to actually file.
mdda 15y ago
What they owe is tax returns reporting zero income. The fact that they didn't file these on time causes them to owe penalties, that may now be crippling. All for not reporting 'ZERO' every year.
- Hyena 15y ago
  Break a law, pay the price. Pretty simple. I knew you should check your tax status while living abroad when I was 16. I find it hard to believe that this is something people living abroad shouldn't know.
  - yoyar 15y ago
    That's fine, I understand that. But you should consider that the gov't now has thousands and thousands of laws to choose from and should they decide one day to come after you I'm sure you have broken some of those as well, most probably unwittingly. If they want to they'll come after you one day and you'll have to submit I suppose, because you've broken some arbitrary law, but I'm sure you won't mind because you seem quite happy to obey your masters, no matter, because it's the LAW! Continue on lapdog; I'm done with you and I have better things to do.
  - jerf 15y ago
    You committed a felony every day last week. Have you paid the price? You protest that no you didn't? Oh, you did. You may not know what the felony is, but I assure you that in this country there is no way you got through an entire week without being felonious, probably multiple times a day. Sixteenth century platitudes about breaking the law and paying the price need to be updated for a 21st century reality in which a careful reading of the law reveals that there is very nearly a law against everything, and the only thing holding society together is that we don't pay the price.
    - Fargren 15y ago
      The problem, I believe, is that politicians use the laws as messages instead of as legislation. When there's media outrage about some subject or the other, the response of the clever politician is to reply with a new law that "helps" for the issue at hand. Once the crisis has passed, we are left for a ad-hoc law that doesn't make much sense anymore. And we end up paying fines or going to prison for some old telegram. What would be good is more succinct Penal Codes, and to make it much harder to add laws in response to isolated events.

Stand up for ex-pats how, exactly? They owe taxes, that's all.

by Hyena 15y ago

Stand up for ex-pats how, exactly? They owe taxes, that's all.

yoyar 15y ago

You don't understand the issue. The IRS is going after people who owe nothing in taxes but haven't filed. Some are senior citizens and may be totally unaware that they were supposed to file. The US gov't is bankrupt and desperate for money and they don't care who's lives they ruin. They're trying to squeeze as much money out of anyone they can lay their hands on.

Hyena 15y ago
I understand the issue perfectly well, thanks; particularly, I understand that it should hardly motivate histrionics.
yoyar 15y ago
@Hyena No, you don't. Which is clearly apparent based on your previous comment, which was incorrect. Calling my statement hysterical isn't an argument either. Claiming that you do understand doesn't make your statement any less incorrect.
- JoachimSchipper 15y ago
  [Psst, you can reply to deeply nested comments if you click "link" first. Note that there is a reason for the "flamewar timeout", though.]
  - yoyar 15y ago
    Thanks for the Pro-Tip! Now I know. :)
- Hyena 15y ago
  You're right, apparently I did not understand the issue.
TheCondor 15y ago
The law is that if you're a US citizen, you pay income tax, period. As I understand it, it's income no matter where it is earned. There are some loop holes, you can get out of paying it up to some amount (I think it's in the $90k range) if you claim it as living expenses or something and then the foreign banks and businesses may not report your income to the US but that doesn't oblige you not to pay it. You have to file the return to show that you own nothing and claim the deductions to make that so, and that may well be the case. If you don't file and they can determine your income then can't it be taxed at whatever the rate is for your income? Moreover, there are penalties for not filing, such that it's in your best interest to actually file.

mdda 15y ago

What they owe is tax returns reporting zero income. The fact that they didn't file these on time causes them to owe penalties, that may now be crippling. All for not reporting 'ZERO' every year.

Hyena 15y ago
Break a law, pay the price. Pretty simple. I knew you should check your tax status while living abroad when I was 16. I find it hard to believe that this is something people living abroad shouldn't know.
- yoyar 15y ago
  That's fine, I understand that. But you should consider that the gov't now has thousands and thousands of laws to choose from and should they decide one day to come after you I'm sure you have broken some of those as well, most probably unwittingly. If they want to they'll come after you one day and you'll have to submit I suppose, because you've broken some arbitrary law, but I'm sure you won't mind because you seem quite happy to obey your masters, no matter, because it's the LAW! Continue on lapdog; I'm done with you and I have better things to do.
- jerf 15y ago
  You committed a felony every day last week. Have you paid the price? You protest that no you didn't? Oh, you did. You may not know what the felony is, but I assure you that in this country there is no way you got through an entire week without being felonious, probably multiple times a day. Sixteenth century platitudes about breaking the law and paying the price need to be updated for a 21st century reality in which a careful reading of the law reveals that there is very nearly a law against everything, and the only thing holding society together is that we don't pay the price.
  - Fargren 15y ago
    The problem, I believe, is that politicians use the laws as messages instead of as legislation. When there's media outrage about some subject or the other, the response of the clever politician is to reply with a new law that "helps" for the issue at hand. Once the crisis has passed, we are left for a ad-hoc law that doesn't make much sense anymore. And we end up paying fines or going to prison for some old telegram. What would be good is more succinct Penal Codes, and to make it much harder to add laws in response to isolated events.