Thoughts on Citizenship
Nov 16th 2011, 4:09 am
#46
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Re: Thoughts on Citizenship
Somewhat confused with Bobs post then . If you're squared away on your taxes and then renounce how would they decide if you did it for tax purposes or not ?
Nov 17th 2011, 4:04 pm
#47
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Location: MA, USA
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Re: Thoughts on Citizenship
For instance, you win the lottery big time and renounce your US citizenship before claiming the prize, you would then not owe the taxes if you claim it from abroad. That kind of thing...but for most people, it would be in setting up selling of a business for uber millions and scarpering to another country before finalising the sale to avoid paying any taxes on those gains.
Nov 17th 2011, 6:11 pm
#48
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Re: Thoughts on Citizenship
Less than a week to go until my oath and I'm wondering if I should be feeling anything? Should I have some sort of upwelling of civic pride or sadness about pushing my UK citizenship down a rung?
I'm sort of feeling nothing really. It feels like just another bureaucratic thing to be done. Obviously I am taking the oath in good faith and will mean every word of it when I say it, just no real emotion. Perhaps I will surprise myself and burst in to tears, I don't know.
Talking to some of my born and bred USC friends there seems to be something in a lot of them, perhaps the way they were brought up, that makes their citizenship and allegiance to the flag very emotional. I don't know if I'll ever understand it. I don't think Brits in general think the same way about such things.
I'm sort of feeling nothing really. It feels like just another bureaucratic thing to be done. Obviously I am taking the oath in good faith and will mean every word of it when I say it, just no real emotion. Perhaps I will surprise myself and burst in to tears, I don't know.
Talking to some of my born and bred USC friends there seems to be something in a lot of them, perhaps the way they were brought up, that makes their citizenship and allegiance to the flag very emotional. I don't know if I'll ever understand it. I don't think Brits in general think the same way about such things.
Nov 18th 2011, 8:30 am
#49
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Re: Thoughts on Citizenship
Well, after saying I wasn't feeling anything other than bureaucracy about the whole thing I went an blubbed a little.
Nov 18th 2011, 10:22 am
#50
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Re: Thoughts on Citizenship
I was quite indifferent to the process myself - just something to do to make life easier - but what has surprised me is how it has raised my 'stature' with many of my American colleagues. They are quite impressed that I chose to actually 'join them', as it were. Hard to explain, really, and more noticeable in flag-waving Arizona than the people's republic of California
There is one action of people today which I find somewhat unsettling -- when people find out that I am a veteran, I hear "Thank you."
Nov 18th 2011, 10:43 am
#51
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Re: Thoughts on Citizenship
They don't have to "decide" - Congress in its infinite wisdom has enacted legislation that establishes the presumption that someone who renounces their US citizenship is doing it to avoid paying US taxes - so it is up to you to refute that presumption.
Nov 19th 2011, 12:26 am
#53
Heading for Poppyland
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Location: North Norfolk and northern New York State
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Re: Thoughts on Citizenship
I, for one, am somewhat impressed that you have to go through a lot of BS to natz. But, as a I mentioned before, my grandparents and mother were refugees and the US doesn't have the habit of treating Jews as the object of a blood sport.
Nov 20th 2011, 3:44 pm
#54
I have a comma problem
Joined: Feb 2009
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Re: Thoughts on Citizenship
You said infinite there, but are you sure you didn't mean infinitesimal?
Nov 20th 2011, 5:06 pm
#57
I have a comma problem
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Nov 20th 2011, 6:43 pm
#59
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Nov 20th 2011, 11:52 pm
#60
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Re: Thoughts on Citizenship
You're supposed to change your status from LPR to USC with them (and the DMV). If you ever have reason to collect SS benefits, you'll be in their system as a USC and unlikely to experience delays. If nothing else it's useful extra proof of your citizenship should you loose the Natz certificate or passport.
