More Taxpayers Are Abandoning the U.S.

WSJ ^ | 11/13/2013 | Laura Saunders

[TigerLikesRooster]

More Taxpayers Are Abandoning the U.S.

Year's Tally for Expatriations Sets Record; Increase Comes Amid Tax Crackdown on Offshore Assets

This year will set a record for expatriations by U.S. taxpayers, with at least a 33% increase from the previous high in 2011.

The Treasury Department published the names of 560 people who either were U.S. citizens renouncing their citizenship or long-term residents who turned in their green cards during the third quarter.

That brings the total so far this year to 2,369, according to Andrew Mitchel, a tax lawyer in Centerbrook, Conn., who tracks the data. For all of 2011, the number of published expatriates was 1,781, he said.

[TigerLikesRooster]

P!

[FlingWingFlyer]

[Gen.Blather]

I couldn’t get to the article, but I believe these are mostly people who have US citizenship but are living and working in other countries. The tax laws have become so complex and dangerous that they have opted to drop citizenship rather than risk the IRS coming after them for taxes it has declared it is owed.

[Travis McGee]

Gee, why would successful people ever want to leave the USA?

[I want the USA back]

They know that the marxist in the oval office wants to seize their money and build a communist paradise.

[skeeter]

I’d bet most of them were at one time immigrants here themselves. They have a place they can comfortably relocate.

[Brandybux]

"I couldn’t get to the article ..."

Here's how you get to the article without a subscription (at least for a few days, before the procedure itemized below generates a broken link):

• Copy the aricle's headline to your computer's clipboard. This needs to be accurate.
• Navigate to Google News.
• In the search field at the top of the page, paste the article's headline from your computer's clipboard; then either hit the RETURN key or click on the blue button at the right end of the search field.
• The article you're seeking is at the top of the resulting list of results for the search. Click on that link.
• Viola!

This also works with the Financial Times, though that site may ask you to answer an inane question first.

[Gen.Blather]

“Here’s how you get to the article without a subscription “

Cool. Thanks.

[EricT.]

Estonia kinda looks like a decent place, except for the big bear next door.

From Wikipedia:

"A balanced budget, almost non-existent public debt, flat-rate income tax, free trade regime, competitive commercial banking sector, innovative e-Services and even mobile-based services are all hallmarks of Estonia's market economy."

"Estonia ranks high in the Human Development Index, and subsequently performs favourably in measurements of press freedom (third in the world in 2012), economic freedom, civil liberties and education."

[khelus]

Thanks. That’s a very useful hint.

[cynwoody]

Here's how you get to the article without a subscription (at least for a few days, before the procedure itemized below generates a broken link):

The reason that works is that your browser sends a Referer header indicating you were referred by Google.

You see, in order to build traffic, some subscription sites have chosen to let users clicking on search engine results bypass their paywalls. So, they check the Referer, and, if it indicates you are coming from Google, they let you in.

There are several handy browser extensions which spoof the Referer, either based on the domain you are trying to reach or all the time. E.g., for Chrome, there is Referer Control, and for Firefox, there is RefControl. Here's what RefControl's configuration dialog looks like:

[Wolfie]

They should pass out copies of this article outside of military recruiting offices. Let the potential troops know hat they’ll be fighitng for.