[XBob]

1 - "This scheme is a direct attack on American interests because of our high levels of immigration -- particularly the well-educated portion of the immigrant population. For instance, if a doctor from the Caribbean moves to America, his home government would get to tax income he earns here. If a Chinese entrepreneur moves to Silicon Valley, the Chinese government would get to tax his U.S. income. "

Not unlike what the US government does. Do you know that the IRS has offices in every country in the world, and that as an American, your world wide income is subject to IRS tax, no matter where it is earned. There are a few exemptions, depending on what year, and what rules, but as an American, you cannot escape the IRS. Even if you change citizenship, and withdraw from American citizenship, you are still subject to IRS tax.

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=24084

"The United States is one of just four countries that taxes its citizens even if they are living and working abroad, and it is the only country that insists its citizens pay taxes on global income, capital gains and estates. "

[ijcr]

The United States is today and has always been the largest financial contributor to the United Nations System. The U.S. contributed a total of $2.4 billion to the United Nation programs and budget in 1999. This includes contributions to the UN regular budget, the regular budgets of the specialized agencies, peacekeeping efforts, and a wide variety of special programs and emergency relief operations.

Member states contribute to the United Nations in two basic ways: through assessed contributions to the UN regular budget and to the regular budgets of the United Nations specialized agencies, and through voluntary contributions to special United Nations programs.

Contributions to the Regular United Nations Budget
The contributions of member states to the regular United Nations budget are set under the United Nations scales of assessments. The scale is based broadly on "capacity to pay" as measured by Member States' shares of the world Gross National Product (GNP) and other factors. It includes discounts for countries with low per capita income (PCI).

For the period 1998 through 2000, the United States has been assessed 25 percent of the regular UN budget (which totals $2.536 billion for 2000-2001). This covers the overall Secretariat and Headquarters costs as well as programs established by the UN General Assembly. For many years, the United States has been advocating comprehensive reforms to bring the scale of assessment up to date and create a broader and more equitable distribution of the responsibility for UN financing. Any change to the scale of assessments needs to be approved by the United Nations General Assembly.

Contributions to Peacekeeping Operations
In 2000, the United Nations was funding 15 peacekeeping operations around the world with over 19,000 troops in the field. With major peacekeeping operations (PKOs) around the world, from Kosovo and East Timor to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Sierra Leone, the United States expects that the UN budget will double to nearly $3 billion in 2001.

Member states are assessed separately for each peacekeeping operation.


For Calendar Year 2000, peacekeeping is funded by an ad hoc system of apportionment that is based on the regular budget rates, but provides substantial discounts to most countries. The assessment rates of the Permanent Members of the UN Security Council are increased to accommodate these discounts. Today 98 percent of costs are assessed to just 30 UN member states. The top five contributors pay more than 75 percent of expenses.


The UN assesses the U.S. at 30.3 percent for peacekeeping operations, but, in accordance with U.S. law that went into effect in Fiscal Year 1996, the U.S. can pay no more than 25 percent. In 1999, the U.S. contributed $216 million for United Nations peacekeeping operations around the world.


Budgets of Other Agencies
The United States is generally assessed at the same rate as the regular UN budget (currently 25 percent) for the budgets of many UN specialized agencies such as the World Health Organization (WHO), World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and International Labor Organization (ILO).
U.S. contribution rates are lower in percentage terms for the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and Universal Postal Union (UPU), since contributions to those agencies are based on a system known as "contributory units." Each country chooses the number of units of the budget that it wants to contribute. The U.S. usually chooses to pay at the highest allowable category of contributory units, or chooses to match the highest category chosen by any other country.

Percentage contributions by governments to the budget of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) are smaller than for other international organizations, as more than half of WIPO's funding is generated by user fees paid by the private sector.

The U.S. is also the largest contributor to the World Trade Organization, whose scale of assessment is based on national shares of average world trade.

In addition to assessed contributions to the regular budgets of the Geneva-based agencies, the U.S. also makes substantial voluntary contributions to international organizations. This is especially the case for humanitarian agencies such as the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Budgetary Reform
In November 1999, Congress passed legislation (Helms-Biden) providing for payment of $926 million in arrears in three tranches, subject to the fulfillment of specific conditions in each of those years.

The tranche amounts and the certifications are as follows. Tranche One: Amount: $100 million was paid to the United Nations in December 1999. Certifications: the UN has no standing army; the UN and certain UN system organizations met the following provisions: they have taken no action causing the U.S. to violate its Constitution or laws; do not have external authority to borrow money; do not challenge U.S. sovereignty; do not tax U.S. citizens; do not charge interest on arrears; and do not infringe on U.S. property rights.

Tranche Two: Amount: $475 million to be paid to the United Nations, plus an additional $107 million UN peacekeeping reimbursement credit. Certifications: assessment rate ceiling for UN regular budget reduced to 22 percent; assessment rate ceiling for UN peacekeeping established at 25 percent; action on contested arrears.

Tranche Three: Amount: $244 million ($30 million for the UN and $214 million to other international organizations). Certifications: no-growth budgets in FAO, ILO, WHO for the 2000-2001 biennium; ; assessment rate ceilings in FAO, ILO, WHO reduced to 22 percent; U.S. seat on the UN budget committee (ACABQ); evaluation criteria and "sunset" policy for UN, FAO, ILO and WHO programs; criteria for inspectors general established in the FAO, ILO, and WHO; new budget procedures in the UN, FAO, ILO, and WHO; U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) access to UN financial data; changes in the UN's personnel system; assessment rate ceiling for the UN regular budget reduced to 20 percent (a waiver was included in the legislation for this final element).