Property Rights and Property Taxes—and Countries That Don’t Have Them

Anthony Freda Art

Nick Giambruno, Senior Editor InternationalMan.com
Casey Research

Do you really own something that you are forced to perpetually make payments on and which can be seized from you if you don’t pay?

I would say that you don’t.

You would possess such an item, but you wouldn’t ownit—an important distinction.

A ridiculous perversion of the concept of ownership and property rights has infected most of the world like a virus: something that most people unquestioningly accept as a normal part of life—like it’s a part of the eternal fabric of the cosmos.

I am talking about property taxes, of course.

US Throws up Roadblocks for Those Wishing to Leave

Janet Phelan

The word is out. People are leaving the US in droves. 

The latest FBI NICS list of American citizens who have expatriated shows a spike in individuals who have renounced their US citizenship. 

The list, published quarterly, provides a grand total of 2,193 such renunciants since the end of last year. 2013 resulted in a total of 2,999 renunciants, which constituted a 221% increase over those who left in 2012. And we are just half way through 2014. 

The NICS list, however, appears to be incomplete. For starters, NICS only lists renunciants, not relinquishers. And yes, there is a difference. Renouncing requires swearing an oath in front of an official of the US government and now has a $2,350 fee attached to it, a recent increase of 422%. Relinquishing does not require the involvement of a US government official but instead involves making one of a number of acts which result in forfeiting one’s US citizenship. 

Corporations Join Droves Renouncing US Citizenship

And now those "droves" are going to be paying an extra 422% to break free by renouncing citizenship, according to Forbes. - Ed.)

Click image to enlarge

Nick Giambruno, International Man
Casey Research

Don’t be surprised to lose if you don’t make an effort at being competitive.

And if you go out of your way to make yourself less competitive, expect to lose.

If that sounds like simple common sense, that’s because it is.

But it’s also exactly what the US has been doing for years—enacting tax policies that sabotage its global economic competitiveness.

It’s like trying to get in shape for a marathon by going on an all-McDonald’s diet. (Speaking of McDonalds, check out this funny video spoof of what their commercials should really look like.)

Here are two major reasons why the US is lagging in the global economic marathon:

A Tight Tax Leash Constrains Americans

Nick Giambruno, International Man
Casey Research

Many readers are already well aware that the US government is essentially unique—and not in a good way—in how it treats its citizens living and working in foreign countries. No other country in the developed world imposes and effectively enforces as many burdens on its citizens abroad (and those who would do business with them) as does the US government.

Whether it is filing and paying taxes to both a foreign government and the US government, the reporting of foreign financial assets (FBAR and Form 8938), or saddling foreign financial institutions with extra compliance costs for dealing with US citizens (FATCA), among others, the root cause of these burdens is a system of citizenship-based taxation (CBT).

The US is the only developed country in the world that enforces CBT.The rest of the developed world uses residence-based taxation (RBT), which means filing and paying taxes only in the country in which you reside, as opposed to the country of which you are a citizen.

It is critical for Americans considering internationalization to understand the difference between CBT and RBT. This two-and-a-half-minute video does a good job of spelling it out.

Dealing with the burdens associated with CBT is an unfortunate fact of life for Americans.

It is not likely to change in the foreseeable future. In fact, I would bet that the burdens will actuallyincrease as the US government becomes more financially desperate. That is a significant incentive to act sooner than later… or before it is too late altogether.

However unpleasant this reality is, it does not negate the need to internationalize.

Quite the contrary.

FREE Copy of the American Expat Guide

As spending on welfare/warfare related programs continues to rise, it is clear that US government will sink deeper into fiscal and moral bankruptcy, with political risk increasing in tandem.

It is far better to deal with the burdens associated with internationalization than to leave your savings, your income, and yourself in range of a desperate government's wrecking ball.

Taken together, being compliant with all the requirements can feel like navigating a confusing hedge maze with draconian consequences.

We live in a time of great uncertainty. Any number of black-swan events (economic or otherwise) are not just plausible but likely; the feeling that we are on the precipice of a new, large, and global war; and the likelihood that the US will become a full-blown police state after the next large attack are all good reasons to have an insurance policy.

Being internationalized gives you the peace of mind of knowing that you have options at your disposal if you should ever need them.

While Americans may need to internationalize more than citizens of other countries, everyone with assets to protect may benefit from moving some of them outside one's home country. Questions of "how" and "to where" are natural, as scams abound.

The comprehensive special report titled Going Global 2013 can help investors steer clear of them, as well as other mistakes a well-meaning person might fall into. The report addresses: what countries are best for you and your money (they are often not one and the same); the best ways for Americans to keep their hard-earned money from the IRS; stock markets and currencies around the world that are good investment bets; setting up an international trust; and much more.

With specific, actionable advice, Going Global 2013 can provide your money with "diplomatic immunity"... and your life with a fresh start. Get all the details and get started now.

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15 More Reasons for Fleeing the Police State

Jorge Gato

It is time once again to give yet 15 more reasons for escaping from the United Soviet States of Amerika (USSA). The following are utterly absurd happenings in the Empire of which I muse upon from the comfort of a warm climate and peaceable surroundings abroad.

1) Police officers, who once were dignified upholders of the law, shoot people’s pets for fun.

2) The government will take away your newborn baby if you eat a poppy seed bagel, while they at the same time illegally and unethically cultivate 90% of the world’s supply of poppy seed-opium-heroin in Afghanistan.

Where Might the NSA Whistleblower Be (Relatively) Safe?

Nick Giambruno, Editor, International Man
Casey Research

The recent events surrounding Edward Snowden, the NSA whistleblower, gives us the chance to engage in an interesting thought experiment.

Where would you go if you were Edward Snowden and were being hunted by the most powerful intelligence agencies on the planet?

Now of course this is a farfetched scenario for most of us, which is why this is only a thought experiment. On the other hand, with individuals like Bernard von NotHaus, the Liberty Dollar founder (a gold- and silver-backed private currency) being labeled by the US government as "domestic terrorists," maybe the situation isn't so implausible.

An important criterion that we should look for in a country is whether or not it has an extradition treaty with the US.

Should We Stay Or Should We Go?

Dave Hodges

Are you tired of living under relative tyranny where every email is read, every phone call is listened to and your every movement is tracked and dissident journalists are harassed and even murdered by federal agencies such as the rogue NSA, CIA and IRS? Are you thinking about escaping our corrupt and criminal government?

Americans are leaving the country at record speed and the annual rate of expatriation is growing as over 150,000 Americans departed the former land of liberty for greener pastures overseas in the past year. In fact, there are now over five million Americans who are choosing to live outside the United States. Just why are Americans leaving this land of “freedom” and opportunity in record numbers, with no end in sight? 

Would you renounce your U.S. citizenship if it meant you’d be sending less of your hard-earned dollars to Uncle Sam? Do you want affordable health care? Do you desire to live a long and healthy life? Do you want your children to have an affordable college education? Do you want to retire in relative comfort? Do you desire live your life with more freedoms that you presently enjoy and not have to worry about government harassment? On balance, should most Americans stay or go?

The Real Reason Governments Are Killing Financial Privacy

image source

Nick Giambruno
Casey Research

At the latest G-20 meeting, central bankers, finance ministers, and an assortment of other central planners touted what they hoped would be a new "global standard" of the automatic sharing of financial information.

The US has taken the lead with the odious FATCA law, and the EU has followed suit with its own version. Through FATCA and other measures, both governments are aggressively seeking new ways to undermine financial privacy.

Financial privacy should not be viewed in a negative light, as it is often portrayed. The Swiss view it as a fundamental human right to preserve dignity, akin to medical privacy. How would you feel if the government snooped into your medical records and automatically shared those records with foreign governments?

While it would appear that the primary objective of this new "global standard" is to rake in more money for bankrupt governments, it seems another motive is at play here.

Superman Renounces U.S. Citizenship in 'Action Comics' #900

Can you say Predictive Progamming?  Is Superman now a puppet of the the global elites?


Comics Alliance-After recently undertaking a journey to walk -- not fly -- across the United States in the "Grounded" storyline and reconnect with the country and everyday Americans, Superman appears to be taking another step that could have major implications for his national identity: in Action Comics #900...

...Superman announces that he is going to give up his U.S. citizenship. Despite very literally being an alien immigrant, Superman has long been seen as a patriotic symbol of "truth, justice, and the American way," from his embrace of traditional American ideals to the iconic red and blue of his costume. What it means to stand for the "American way" is an increasingly complicated thing, however, both in the real world and in superhero comics, whose storylines have increasingly seemed to mirror current events and deal with moral and political complexities rather than simple black and white morality.

The key scene takes place in "The Incident," a short story in Action Comics #900 written by David S. Goyer with art by Miguel Sepulveda. In it, Superman consults with the President's national security advisor, who is incensed that Superman appeared in Tehran to non-violently support the protesters demonstrating against the Iranian regime, no doubt an analogue for the recent real-life protests in the Middle East. However, since Superman is viewed as an American icon in the DC Universe as well as our own, the Iranian government has construed his actions as the will of the American President, and indeed, an act of war.



Superman replies that it was foolish to think that his actions would not reflect politically on the American government, and that he therefore plans to renounce his American citizenship at the United Nations the next day -- and to continue working as a superhero from a more global than national perspective. From a "realistic" standpoint it makes sense; it would indeed be impossible for a nigh-omnipotent being ideologically aligned with America to intercede against injustice beyond American borders without creating enormous political fallout for the U.S. government.

Read More: http://www.comicsalliance.com/2011/04/27/superman-renounces-us-citizenship/#ixzz1KsVi00sf


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Escape From America Continues

Anthony Freda Illustration

Bob Bauman
Lew Rockwell

The latest news reports reconfirm a continuing trend we at the Sovereign Society have observed since our founding in 1997; the most recent U.S. State Department figures for 2010 show the total number of U.S. citizens formally ending their citizenship is rising at double previous rates.

According to one web site, the 2010 figure was 1,485, but Bloomberg News lists 1,534. In both cases, the 2010 figure appears to be about double that for any year since 2003.

We at the Sovereign Society have noted sadly that each year hundreds of thousands of U.S. citizens and resident aliens have left America to make a new home in other nations, even though most of them do not renounced U.S citizenship. Admittedly, that number pales against the millions clamoring to get into the U.S., legally and otherwise.

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5 Best Countries to Escape America's Decline

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Could Millionaires Fleeing the U.S. Cause a Wildcard Economic Event?

Cryptogon

For years, I’ve received emails from people who want to move to New Zealand. Some young, some old. Some well off, some not so well off.

Over the last month or so, three millionaires have emailed me about moving to New Zealand.

The three people who emailed me were all going to invest their way into New Zealand. In case you don’t know, millionaires can make “investments” in New Zealand to, in effect, buy different types of residence visas. New Zealand Immigration calls these “Business Visas.” Depending on the type of arrangement and the age of the applicant, between NZ$750,000 and NZ$10 million is required.

It’s one thing for me to leave the U.S., with my meager savings, boxes of books and already old clothes (not much, in other words), but what happens if large numbers these wealthy people leave the U.S., pulling millions of dollars out of U.S. banks and moving it… elsewhere?

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5 Best Countries to Escape America's Decline

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5 Best Countries to Escape America's Decline

Activist Post

Okay, you're upset with the direction America is headed and you've been thinking of moving to another country. Perhaps you feel exhaustedly cynical about the political, economic, or social situation in the U.S. and think it is beyond repair. You wouldn't be alone. Many top economists and other trend forecasters are now openly predicting that a total economic, environmental, and social collapse may be imminent in America. 

Americans, young professionals and baby boomers alike, are increasingly saying that their main desire in moving out of America is to seek "political asylum" of sorts.  In the past, this political discontent was typically drawn along party lines -- where under Bush's 8 years the exodus mainly consisted of bitter Democrats, while as recently as March, Rush Limbaugh declared, half-jokingly, that he'd move to Costa Rica if "Obamacare" became law.  However, these days, more Americans have grown cynical of the system itself and have given up on left-right politics.


Many believe dropping out of the system as much as possible is the best form of protest. And now, because many people can telecommute through the Internet, it seems that living outside the U.S. is more do-able than ever. Furthermore, the lower cost of living in many other countries may actually increase the standard of living for some people.

Surely, America will rebound from it's eventual collapse, much like Russia and Argentina have, but it may make for discomforting sacrifices in America during the next decade.  More Americans are looking to "ride out the storm" elsewhere, while others desire to become permanent nomads seeking foreign opportunity and adventure.

It should be noted that no country is perfect and you'll face challenges no matter where you go. You'll find that modernization and rampant consumerism (the American way) is expanding into almost every corner of the world.  Some view this as a good thing, as more American comforts can be found, while others view it is a cultural blight to foreign lands. Your expectations must be kept realistic in that you may not find paradise, but your expat adventure may ultimately lead to a more peaceful lifestyle.

The criteria for safe haven include countries that have social stability, economic opportunity, freedom of self-expression, relative self-sufficiency, and an essential local community strength. These critical components are the foundation for living life with a greater sense of independence.

Here are our 5 best countries for Americans to escape the decline:

1.Uruguay, whose official motto is "libertad o muerte (liberty or death)", is located in South America southwest of Brazil and east of Argentina. Uruguay borders on the Atlantic Ocean and for the most part has developed infrastructure, a stable democracy, European flair, and rich culture that draw many expats to her borders. Uruguay is a constitutional democracy with one of the most developed economies in South America, with a high GDP per capita. Between the years 2007 and 2009, Uruguay was the only country in the Americas which didn't technically experience a recession and has the lowest Income Inequality and highest Quality of Life in Latin America, and second only to Canada in all the Americas.  Uruguay is rated as the least corrupt country in Latin America with its political and labour conditions being among the freest on the continent.  In 2010, Uruguay became the first nation in Latin America to test hemp cultivation, while no drugs are illegal for personal consumption.  Located entirely in the temperate zone, Uruguay provides a great growing climate.

Housing is much lower than housing in the United States, as well as health care and food. Some consumer products like cars and electronics can cost more, along with internet connection fees. Americans can buy real estate and own businesses, and they have an automatic 90-day visit to visit and explore Uruguay.  Americans only need to have a proof-of-income of $500/mth to apply for residency.

2. Costa Rica is a peaceful country in Central America, often referred to as the "Switzerland" of the Latin America due to its stable economy, political stability, and quality healthcare. Costa Rica, blessed with two beautiful coast lines (Pacific and Caribbean), is roughly the size of West Virginia and home to around 4 million people. The Central Valley's eternal springlike climate is said to be one of the best in the world allowing for year-round growing season.  Costa Rica is consistently voted one of the "Happiest and Greenest" countries in the world with about 95% of its electric production coming from renewable sources.  AARP and others have ranked it one of the best foreign retirement locations as it has all the same modern conveniences found in America and is only a 5-hour flight from New York.

Besides the price of real estate, which is comparable to the U.S., the cost of living is lower - especially in regards to property taxes, health insurance, and fresh food. Americans have an automatic 90-day visa to visit Costa Rica which could be renewed by leaving the country for 3 days before re-entering.  Non-residents can own real estate and businesses, but are not allowed to work without a work visa.  Residency requirements for retirees requires proof of income of $?

3. New Zealand might be the most isolated fully developed nation in the world. It shares no borders, sits relatively distant from any other nation, has no real national enemies, has a safe democracy and a diverse landscape with many remote places to hide away within. Located in the South Pacific with beautiful beaches, sunshine, friendly people, and the diverse landscape, it has two main islands and several smaller islands like Chatham Island and the Cook Islands. New Zealand is a developed country that ranks highly in international comparisons on many topics, including education, economic freedom, and lack of corruption.  New Zealand now ranks among the freest economies in the world with one of the least corrupt governments ranked #1 on the Global Peace Index in 2010 -- second year in a row.  The most commonly spoken language is English. Its cities also consistently rank among the world's most liveable.

The cost of living is somewhat comparable to the the United States.  Americans have an automatic 90-day visa to enter and explore the country.  Non-residents can apply for a 2-year work visa only in fields determined by immigration.

4. Iceland has a free market economy that has historically been one of the wealthiest and most developed nations in the world. In 2007, it was ranked as the most developed country in the world by the United Nations' Human Development Index, and the fourth most productive country per capita economy.  In 2008, Iceland's economy was devastated by the international bankers calling their foreign debt due.  However, because of pride and solidarity among the people, strong social services, a nearly self-reliant energy sector, and a manageable population (320,000), it is poised to recover once the foreign debt issues are settled. Iceland has passed legislation to establish the country as a "free speech haven" to protect journalists and their sources. This law is a huge deal as most Western countries seem to be heading toward regulating the Internet, and it has the potential to jump-start the Icelandic economy in terms of offering censorship-free servers and other services to journalists and internet businesses.  Iceland is also a peaceful country with no standing army.

Iceland will be working it's way back from financial collapse, while the U.S. still appears headed for the cliff.  Because of the shattered financial system, there are good opportunities to live on less income in Iceland now than during its peak, while all the signs seem poised for recovery. Residency has traditionally been difficult to get in Iceland and is usually done through vital employment needs, but the new push as a political safe-haven may open up the process a bit. Currently, American passports have an automatic 90-day Visa to visit Iceland.

5. Argentina has bounced back from its financial collapse in 2002 when it defaulted on international debt causing massive inflation and high unemployment.  The people said "Nunca Mas" and the government has since paid off its debt to the IMF and it now has one of the world's highest qualities of life in the world.  Argentina is the second largest country in South America and the 8th largest in the world.  It is a fully-developed country with strong agriculture production as the second-largest exporter of corn in the world -- not mention good wines and beef too.  The capital of Buenos Aires is known as the “Paris of Latin America” because it feels like a European city with rich architecture and numerous sidewalk cafes.  If the arts and ambiance at a low cost of living are your thing, then Argentina may be the best bang for your buck.

The cost of living is reportedly much lower than the United States for housing, food, travel, and health care.  Americans have an automatic passport Visa of 90 days to Argentina as well.  Pensioners will need to prove a $700 per month income to qualify for residency, while others can apply if they prove a steady income of $900 per month.

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