Citizenship renouncer not allowed back in

[jab]

'Bitcoin Jesus' Visa Application Denied - Business Insider

He rejected US citizenship so that he could avoid paying taxes to the US government and its subsidiaries, but he's now complaining that US authorities won't give him a visa to allow him to visit the US again.

He's rich enough to be easily detached from any one place. Given his wealth, he could invest it in some superconservative investments, returning only 0.1%/year, and still have a huge income. Enough to live out of hotel rooms wherever he goes.

The fiercely libertarian entrepreneur has also appealed for others to follow his lead on citizenship, in June launching a website that helps wealthy people pay their way to citizenship on his new island home of the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis in the West Indies.

Presumably to be renamed the Galt Islands.

How very different from my own dear, genteel country. The Conservative con Con Black renounced his Canadian citizenship for a Lordship in the British House of Lords. Later after he had finished serving time in the US for for fraud and obstructing justice, our boastfully hard-on-crime Con-servative Government waived the barring of foreign criminals in his case. Harper has set an example for Obama: Heavenly Harper divinely let Con B. back in; and he's been hunkered down on his estate ever since--for him no enforcement, as far as I know, of the limited stay provisions for visitors to our con-siderate nation.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Most nations don't allow foreign nationals to enter as tourists unless they are confident that they will leave prior to the expiration of their visitor visas; and the tendency is to err on the side of caution - it is a lot easier and cheaper to refuse admission to someone than it is to find, detain and deport them after they have overstayed.

The one time I entered the USA, the INS spent nearly an hour grilling me on whether I intended to work, or to stay more than the three months allowed by my visa, despite the fact that I had told them that I was in transit only, and that I had documentary proof that I had a hotel room booked at the airport Hilton for that one night, and an onward ticket to London for a flight leaving the next day - after a 12 hour flight from Tahiti, and with the prospect of another 10 hour flight in less then 24 hours, all I wanted was a shower, and a bed to sleep in; but they seemed to be concerned I might set up a shoe-shine stall at the airport for a few hours, or do a day's labour on a building site, and steal a few bucks in wages or tips from hard-working US citizens. I get the impression that the INS really don't want to let anyone in on a tourist visa at all, but tourists are worth too much money to debar them altogether, so their political masters won't let them be quite that strict. (And that was before 9-11; I dread to think what getting into the USA is like nowadays).

If you want to retain the freedom to come and go as you please to a nation state, you need to become (or remain) a citizen of that state.

What did you do to set them off? Your onward flight the next day normally would have made that a non-issue.

 

[Rhea]

The one time I entered the USA, the INS spent nearly an hour grilling me on whether I intended to work, or to stay more than the three months allowed by my visa, despite the fact that I had told them that I was in transit only, and that I had documentary proof that I had a hotel room booked at the airport Hilton for that one night, and an onward ticket to London for a flight leaving the next day - after a 12 hour flight from Tahiti, and with the prospect of another 10 hour flight in less then 24 hours, all I wanted was a shower, and a bed to sleep in;

What did you do to set them off? Your onward flight the next day normally would have made that a non-issue.

He probably "looked just like a suspect"

 

[arkirk]

While I really do not sympathize with the guy... It looks like there are some resentful bureaucrats playing dog in the manger with the guy. From a realistic point of view on this, if the guy isn't a criminal, why not let him in?

He does have a criminal record. Does that count?

I would say so. This guy obviously grabbed a lot of money and ran to avoid taxes. Maybe they should grab him and he should stay here for a LONG TIME working for free in one of our larger Federal intitutions.

 

[Axulus]

He does have a criminal record. Does that count?

I would say so. This guy obviously grabbed a lot of money and ran to avoid taxes. Maybe they should grab him and he should stay here for a LONG TIME working for free in one of our larger Federal intitutions.

Just to clarify, any money he earned while a citizen of the US was already fully taxed. Only his future earnings unconnected with the United States would avoid US tax.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

What did you do to set them off? Your onward flight the next day normally would have made that a non-issue.

He probably "looked just like a suspect"

Something approximating that could have been an issue--look scruffy at a border crossing and you'll run into a lot more trouble. I've had trouble getting into England once because of this--we had our well-worn tropical attire, the stuff we weren't using in the tropics got stolen. It took two hours to get through immigration.

 

[credoconsolans]

That's what Bhutan does. Around $300/day set up through official tour guides which includes food and lodging.

While I really do not sympathize with the guy... It looks like there are some resentful bureaucrats playing dog in the manger with the guy. From a realistic point of view on this, if the guy isn't a criminal, why not let him in?

They have no reason to coddle an ex-pat who willingly gave up citizenship and his rights. Doesn't like it? Welcome to NOT being an American.

 

[jonatha]

That's what Bhutan does. Around $300/day set up through official tour guides which includes food and lodging.

While I really do not sympathize with the guy... It looks like there are some resentful bureaucrats playing dog in the manger with the guy. From a realistic point of view on this, if the guy isn't a criminal, why not let him in?

Because there is good reason to think he will overstay his visa and become an illegal immigrant.

Can't have that now, can we...

 

[barbos]

I would say so. This guy obviously grabbed a lot of money and ran to avoid taxes. Maybe they should grab him and he should stay here for a LONG TIME working for free in one of our larger Federal intitutions.

Just to clarify, any money he earned while a citizen of the US was already fully taxed. Only his future earnings unconnected with the United States would avoid US tax.

I thought this could be related to the discussion. Mayor of London has dual (US and British) citizenship and apparently he was refusing to pay US capital gain tax from the sale of his house in London.
I think it's a bit weird that he has to pay tax from the sale of property which is not connected to US in any way.
On the other hand I can see the logic if it is a business registered in US.
The whole thing with dual citizenship seems weird.
to pay US capital gain tax from the sale of his house in London.
I think it's a bit weird that he has to pay tax from the sale of property which is not connected to US in any way.
On the other hand I can see the logic if it is a business registered in US.
The whole thing with dual citizenship seems weird.

 

[Rhea]

Just to clarify, any money he earned while a citizen of the US was already fully taxed. Only his future earnings unconnected with the United States would avoid US tax.

I thought this could be related to the discussion. Mayor of London has dual (US and British) citizenship and apparently he was refusing to pay US capital gain tax from the sale of his house in London.
I think it's a bit weird that he has to pay tax from the sale of property which is not connected to US in any way.
On the other hand I can see the logic if it is a business registered in US.
The whole thing with dual citizenship seems weird.
to pay US capital gain tax from the sale of his house in London.
I think it's a bit weird that he has to pay tax from the sale of property which is not connected to US in any way.
On the other hand I can see the logic if it is a business registered in US.
The whole thing with dual citizenship seems weird.

I think he can write off any portion of that tax that is paid to the foreign gov't. So if the gain is taxed by Britain, he only has to pay the difference. There's a spot for that on the US tax return, to mark off how much tax was paid to a foreign gov't on every line item of cap gains, I believe.

 

[barbos]

I thought this could be related to the discussion. Mayor of London has dual (US and British) citizenship and apparently he was refusing to pay US capital gain tax from the sale of his house in London.
I think it's a bit weird that he has to pay tax from the sale of property which is not connected to US in any way.
On the other hand I can see the logic if it is a business registered in US.
The whole thing with dual citizenship seems weird.
to pay US capital gain tax from the sale of his house in London.
I think it's a bit weird that he has to pay tax from the sale of property which is not connected to US in any way.
On the other hand I can see the logic if it is a business registered in US.
The whole thing with dual citizenship seems weird.

I think he can write off any portion of that tax that is paid to the foreign gov't. So if the gain is taxed by Britain, he only has to pay the difference. There's a spot for that on the US tax return, to mark off how much tax was paid to a foreign gov't on every line item of cap gains, I believe.

Well, that sounds much better. Otherwise it would suck to pay income tax both to US and GB.
which would probably be something like 80%
Then there is a question of preference, who gets tax first GB or US?
In any case, capital gain tax is 0% in GB.

 

[jonatha]

In any case, capital gain tax is 0% in GB.

Is that in general, or just on the sale of a personal residence (in which case the same is true of the US in most cases)?

If it is in general, we need to get Axulus to explain why Britain's economy is not the Marvel of the World...

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Just to clarify, any money he earned while a citizen of the US was already fully taxed. Only his future earnings unconnected with the United States would avoid US tax.

I thought this could be related to the discussion. Mayor of London has dual (US and British) citizenship and apparently he was refusing to pay US capital gain tax from the sale of his house in London.
I think it's a bit weird that he has to pay tax from the sale of property which is not connected to US in any way.
On the other hand I can see the logic if it is a business registered in US.
The whole thing with dual citizenship seems weird.
to pay US capital gain tax from the sale of his house in London.
I think it's a bit weird that he has to pay tax from the sale of property which is not connected to US in any way.
On the other hand I can see the logic if it is a business registered in US.
The whole thing with dual citizenship seems weird.

Capital gains on his house? I thought the issue was all the disclosure mess that comes from being a US citizen living overseas.

- - - Updated - - -

I thought this could be related to the discussion. Mayor of London has dual (US and British) citizenship and apparently he was refusing to pay US capital gain tax from the sale of his house in London.
I think it's a bit weird that he has to pay tax from the sale of property which is not connected to US in any way.
On the other hand I can see the logic if it is a business registered in US.
The whole thing with dual citizenship seems weird.
to pay US capital gain tax from the sale of his house in London.
I think it's a bit weird that he has to pay tax from the sale of property which is not connected to US in any way.
On the other hand I can see the logic if it is a business registered in US.
The whole thing with dual citizenship seems weird.

I think he can write off any portion of that tax that is paid to the foreign gov't. So if the gain is taxed by Britain, he only has to pay the difference. There's a spot for that on the US tax return, to mark off how much tax was paid to a foreign gov't on every line item of cap gains, I believe.

Yup--which is why the actual tax paid is rarely an issue for the expats living in other first-world countries.

 

[barbos]

In any case, capital gain tax is 0% in GB.

Is that in general, or just on the sale of a personal residence (in which case the same is true of the US in most cases)?

If it is in general, we need to get Axulus to explain why Britain's economy is not the Marvel of the World...

I am not sure but article I read said Johnson paid zero capital gain tax on his house sale in Britain.
Google seems to think UK does have capital gain tax.