Is there a citizen trap in the US?

Quote from Roark:

What will be your next country of residence?
More...

I have three or four in mind in the pacific region. I almost had enough points for New Zealand. They responded that they wanted me under "gain an offer of skilled employment situation." After years in management and manufacturing I will not go back to the nonsense. I have not asked for a dime from years from the current social transfer payment system. I can't beat the system nor fight it but can always leave it. Just like any stock position close it out when it gets bad.

Akuma

Loyalty is an exploitable emotion
 
You're leaving in 20 days and you haven't definitely decided on your destination yet? Perhaps you should put some more thought into this.
 
Quote from dandxg:

Correct. I am weeks away from my Canadian citizenship. I can get EU residency. I can stay under the 180k exclusion. Things aren't black and white.

I have a friend whom trades from Eastern Europe, he hasn't paid a dime to the country he is living in, and he makes money. I don't even know if he pays US taxes since he lives abroad full time. A number of the FSU countries aren't sophisticated enough to catch ppl with an internet based biz.
More...

A number of countries legally exempt non-nationals from foreign-source income tax for a few years, or even permanently. You can thus reside there for several years and not pay anything in tax, 100% legally, as long as you are not a citizen and don't earn local income.

Besides, much of E Europe has flat taxes in the 10-20% range, hardly onerous.
 
Quote from zdreg:

how come Germany and Switzerland with high wages and costs are doing well? posters on various threads refuse to answer this question while whining about outsourcing.
More...

I am happy to answer that question. There are at least two important differences between the USA and the two countries you mentioned. One of course is the education system. Not all that different at the University level, but quite different at the primary and secondary levels.

Then there is this troubling fact: the US squanders nearly 4K$ per capita per year on military expenses (this includes veterans benefits, interest on borrowed money etc.) whereas Switzerland and Germany spend a tiny fraction of that amount on their military. Germany for example is around 300$ per capita, less than 1/10 what the US spends. The resources wasted on weapons in the US are used for infrastructure including mass transit, the arts, and social programs in other countries. Germany, by the way, is the leading exporting nation in the world. It is not the US, as many wrongly suppose.
 
Quote from Ghost of Cutten:

Wrong:

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1753.html
More...

Apparently the circumstances dictate whether one can be a citizen of more than one country at a time. It was true, and I am assuming it is still true, that for an immigrant to be given US citizenship they must formally renounce their allegiance to all other countries. This was part of the swearing in procedure to become a US citizen, and I would guess that it still is. In other words, persons granted U.S. citizenship by this procedure may not legally be a citizen of any other country.
 
Quote from Roark:

You're leaving in 20 days and you haven't definitely decided on your destination yet? Perhaps you should put some more thought into this.
More...

I am looking to see what the best long term location would be. Geopolitcally speaking. The pacific region has many locations the are emerging out of a third world economy. Japan, Singapore, India are on the list. China is also on the list but not as a primary. I might just have to boat it out of here.
With reports of Federal pension funds being raided to raise the debt limit the outlook is not good. I keep on meeting people who are in the service sector making just above minimum wage and they seem completely broken. Others I have met are gaming the social security system and getting a free ride. The future here in the US does not look bright. Most of my family does not reside in the America and have no intentions of returning.

Akuma
 
Quote from Roark:

Come on dude, you can up with an idea similar to Facebook or something and become a billionaire overnight. You're being too pessimistic. Think how wonderful it is to live in the US. You don't have to worry about radiation and you can drink the water. Stuff is super cheap at Walmart and a Walmart store has just about everything a person needs or wants. And if Walmart doesn't have it, Amazon.com will surely have it and sell it to you tax free if you don't live in Washington state. Houses are cheap and huge. You should get down on your knees and thank whatever gods there may be for your incredible good fortune.
More...

This is the materialistic, consumerist American attitude that was partly to blame for this mess.
 
Quote from elon:

This is the materialistic, consumerist American attitude that was partly to blame for this mess.
More...

Not really. The mess was caused by a speculative bubble in housing, not by people that went out and created new businesses that are profitable and a source of employment for others.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top