Ricedoll's Issues with US Taxation

[earthfriendly]

Okie, I will hire you to prepare my tax if I ever decided to work overseas. This kind of tax issue, not something that your local run-of-the-mill tax preparer can easily handle. Does one have to use one of those Big 6 firms or a firm that specializes in foreign tax?

[BBCWatcher]

Oh wait, BBC, did you see ur US taxes being put to good use? Please list some specific examples to convince me so I can pay with all my heart.

I did, upthread. I could list many more examples, including examples that almost certainly applied to your husband. (It's fair to assume he didn't immediately leap out of the womb into the flight deck, fully trained. And that doesn't quite work either because his mother had to carry him for about 9 months and, thankfully, had safe drinking water, well regulated medical care, and various other benefits that only government can provide.) The U.S. government also has a huge, ongoing role to play (primarily through the U.S. FAA) in making sure your husband's ass is well protected as long as he's at least halfway competent, making sure that hunk of metal he flies is not falling out of the sky (aircraft certification) or crashing into something (air traffic control, global satellite navigation, etc.) That iPhone you use to figure out how to get to the shopping mall to get your hair fixed? Satellite navigation, paid by U.S. taxpayers like me. A free global service, invented by the U.S., and we Americans pay for it. A "thank you" would be nice but optional.

....I'm barely scratching the surface. But you don't care. We get it: it's all about his wallet and what's inside it, now now now. And I don't care that you don't care. (Does anybody?) You don't like the deal, fine. If your husband wants, he can pay the $2350 (plus any Expatriation Tax, if applicable) and terminate his U.S. citizenship. Buh bye, have a nice life, good luck.

[BBCWatcher]

Does one have to use one of those Big 6 firms or a firm that specializes in foreign tax?

Nope. Just use U.S. tax preparation software -- which is what the pros do anyway. If you don't want to spend money on tax preparation software, no problem, there are at least two that are free for tax year 2015: OLT's free edition and H&R Block's free edition. Either can handle everything I just described.

[earthfriendly]

We just use a tax preparer. Tried doing my own tax twice, one with Turbo tax and another time , I think it is called tax cut. Can't decide which is worse, going to the dentist or doing taxes. Now that I have met you, I now know who to approach .

[BBCWatcher]

Here's another fun fact! According to the data available from ForeignAssistance.gov, an official U.S. government Web site, in fiscal year 2015 the U.S. Department of Defense awarded US$297,311.64 in direct foreign aid to Singapore's government. It looks like Singapore spent this U.S. taxpayer-provided money to train its security forces on counterproliferation and counterterrorism.

This figure only includes direct aid. As examples, it does not include the Pentagon's "defense umbrella" services to Singapore (such as periodic U.S. Navy visits), sharing intelligence with Singapore, etc.

So there's another example. I'm paying a bit of U.S. tax on non-U.S. source income...to help keep Singapore safe! And to keep Singaporeans' smartphones navigating well, as another example. Funny how that works.

[Strong Eagle]

This figure only includes direct aid. As examples, it does not include the Pentagon's "defense umbrella" services to Singapore (such as periodic U.S. Navy visits), sharing intelligence with Singapore, etc.

Each time a carrier strike force comes to Singapore, Singapore becomes richer by about $4 to $6 million. $2 million of that is dockage fees at Changi Naval base. More fees to be resupplied with fuel and food... used to be Glenn Defense Marine but don't know if they still do the deal since they were caught bribing high level Navy officials with money and prostitutes. And depending upon length of stay and the Commander's prerogative, another $2 million is spent by US Navy personnel on leave in Singapore... about half of that in Four Floors if anecdotal observation is any indicator.

The USA also pays substantial rent for its base at Sembawang... don't know how much, and parts of it were being scaled back when I left.

[earthfriendly]

There you go. People like to bash the US (yes, sometimes rightfully so) but the country also contributed greatly to the world's well-being.

[ricedoll]

No one is bashing Uncle Sam. I am just expressing my frustration towards unjustified taxation that only Uncle Sam-ers are subjected to. I certainly hope my husband doesn't feel discriminated against since he told me Americans are the only ONES in the company, with NO (recognised) RETIREMENT FUND, hence its all cashed out and being taxed.

Lets just say this amount is 20% of your pay. Everyone else has this 20% put into their retirement fund TAX FREE, but poor husband and fellow Uncle Sam-ers have NO retirement fund, and at the same time paying 30% taxes on this 20% "cashed out retirement fund" when its generally TAX FREE for everyone else. I hope in the coming years, we would have a good retirement thanks to Sam!

One suggestion, if you think you are contributing to such a great cause, I reckon you to donate all your wealth to help the better of the Sammy economy.

[ricedoll]

And bothering news I come across this morning that worry me,

Rare Moment Of Truth As MEP Explains Why The Whole Banking System Is A Scam
http://anonhq.com/watch-rare-moment-of- ... is-a-scam/

Fourteen Cops Take Down One-Legged Man. Four to Restrain, Ten to Stop the Cameras
http://anonhq.com/51186-2/

“For my undergraduate studies in the United States, I needed a lot of loans. After my studies in Germany I essentially finish with no loans at all.”
http://anonhq.com/germany-may-answer-american-students/

[earthfriendly]

Not referring to you lah. Just the world wide bashing of USA that can be so fashionable and sooooooooo predictable.

[BBCWatcher]

People like to bash the US (yes, sometimes rightfully so) but the country also contributed greatly to the world's well-being.

GPS is a triumph. Being able to carry a pocket navigator (any smartphone) and never get lost is still amazing, often life saving. GPS also provides accurate time signals to practically every device on the planet, directly or indirectly. Global, free, and extraordinarily reliable for over 20 years (and counting). Thank you, America (and American taxpayers)!

Speaking of smartphones, the U.S. invented mobile cellular telephony, in large part with government support. (Bell Labs and Motorola introduced the world's first cellular mobile phone system in Chicago, and they got a lot of U.S. taxpayer funding.) The Internet? Invented and heavily funded by the U.S. government -- and yes, with a lot of help from Al Gore in getting major funding. The transistors, semiconductors, and microprocessors inside your smartphone? All invented in the United States, all thanks to heavy government support (military and space program funding, especially). The operating system and software? Invented in the U.S., heavily government funded. (iPhones run a version of UNIX, an operating system invented at Bell Labs. Android smartphones run Linux, a clone of UNIX first developed by Linus Torvalds. Torvalds was born in Finland but naturalized as a U.S. citizen in 2010. Didn't anybody tell him about that "awful" U.S. tax system? ) Code Division Multiple Access, the wireless technology fundamental to 3G and 4G service? U.S. company Qualcomm figured out how to make it work, with heavy U.S. government support again (mostly military).

My tax dollars at work!

Yes, of course the U.S. has its faults. However, there are many great countries (and great citizenships), and the United States is (has) one of them.

[ricedoll]

Now, then why don't you suggest Chinese being taxed world wide? I am thankful and proud that my ancestors have invented the paper you are using, and the gunpowder Uncle Sam loves!

http://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/f ... ntions.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_C ... inventions

[earthfriendly]

Even though I don't care much for my suburbian lifestyle (I am a city girl, can't have my cake and eat it huh!), USA has won over my heart. It has ideals and the kind of freedom and environment that allows the inventions that you mention above.

[BBCWatcher]

I am just expressing my frustration towards unjustified taxation that only Uncle Sam-ers are subjected to.

No, Hungarians, Eritreans, and Singaporeans also are -- and a far, far greater percentage of overseas resident Singaporeans than Americans.

The reality is you're upset because your husband happens to be at least relatively well-to-do, happens to live in a low tax country, and happens to owe a bit of U.S. tax on his non-U.S. source income because he's a U.S. person (by continued choice, his choice). There's nothing wrong being upset about taxes -- practically everybody is! But you're not exactly claiming the moral high ground when, at exactly the same time, your citizenship comes with a global tax obligation that always applies except if you're truly poor. By all rights it's your husband who should be more upset with your country's regressive and near universal CBT -- and with compulsory national service on top of that. Now that's some tyranny if anything here is.

[earthfriendly]

China has a proud and long inventive history and rich intellectsia. But that was more than over 2 centuries ago. We are talking about now.

China has degenerated into the sick man of Asia. Slowly and surely and just maybe, it may recover its former glory. But they do have an awful govt that gets in the way of its citizens. In fact, the current leader is even taking the country backwards. With his silly idiosynracies and tighten of his own citizens.