NoDisplayName

1 hour ago, cdemundo said:

A clear way forward would be to eliminate the maximum income limit on FICA contributions.

This would go a long way to correcting the shortfall.

How nice of you to be so generous with other peoples' earnings!

I can fix it!  Let's just take more of that guy's money and give it to that illegal alien guy over there!

19 hours ago, Dan O said:

The GOP also have court cases in several states to attempt to limit voting g rights of some citizen groups living outside the USA.

Nice talking point.

Problem is those states are doing outside the US what they do inside the US - not requiring voters to document citizenship in order to vote, or permitting citizens with no connection to the state to vote in the state polls.

2 minutes ago, candide said:

Suuure! How convenient to be assaulted and bombed by Russia! 

Huh!

Ethnic cleansing has consequences.

Who knew!

17 minutes ago, candide said:

Why can't you understand that the Ukrainian constitution forbids holding elections under martial law,  and that martial law is necessary because Ukraine is assaulted by Russia? 

My, isn't that convenient!

"We had to destroy democracy in order to save it!"

48 minutes ago, Tropicalevo said:

He was elected democratically.

 

So was that other little nazi fellow who liked to wear military garb.

16 minutes ago, riclag said:

I wasnt aware of that ! Wow

Next time you're at CW, and IO wants you to hand-write something, they don't hand you a fresh sheet of paper.  Turn it over and you've got someone's passport ID page or their bank statement.

If I'm remembering correctly, stacks of recycled foreigner paper was set out at the front sign-in area for doodling and notes.

26 minutes ago, riclag said:

My concern is Thailand .I can’t trust my own country to be secure with my data(2024 national public data breech exposing millions of Social Security# to the dark web) , why should I trust Thailand .

You are aware that cartons and cartons of confidential identification and financial documents are recycled by immigration offices and used as copy paper or handed out as note paper?

I wouldn't worry about the banks.

1 minute ago, riclag said:

Im just sayin, thats what Kasikorn

made me sign off on was a W9 form.

I signed W-9's at BKK Bank, Krungsri, KrungThai, my Thai brokerage, at Schwab International last month, and ten years ago in China at Bank of China and Agriculture Bank.

Interestingly, as of 'bout 5 years ago, Bank of China, Agriculture Bank, ICBC all dropped the requirement for Americans when opening accounts.

15 minutes ago, candide said:

My point is that the main actor which was present and active in Donbass (and really active against Ukraine) was not bound by the agreement. So it was useless.

 

My point is the main actor that signed the agreement, failed to implement it, bombed the Donbass for 8 years.

So, yeah.  It was useless.

Had the Minsky agreements been implemented, or Istanbul followed through, none of this would have happened.

FAFO.

1 hour ago, dddave said:

A very dear friend is kind of wondering if he has neglected to file an FBAR report in past years, what are the consequences of doing it now?

Thankfully, there’s an IRS amnesty program called the Streamlined Procedure that allows expats who are behind with their US tax filing to catch up. They simply have to file their last 3 returns and last 6 FBARs as is applicable, and self-certify that their previous failure to file wasn’t willful avoidance.

The Streamlined Procedure also lets expats claim the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion and Foreign Tax Credit, depending on which is more beneficial for their circumstances, which mean most expats won’t owe any US tax, although they still have to file.

https://brighttax.com/expats-irs-streamlined-procedure/

3 minutes ago, riclag said:

I had to fill out

a W9 form not a Fatca for Kasikorn.

I'm shirley the W-9 is the FATCA form.

FATCA requires foreign banks to report their American account holders’ name, address, account details (including balance), and US tax identification or social security number. Form W-9 allows banks to know this number.

https://brighttax.com/blog/us-expats-receive-form-w-9-from-foreign-bank/

39 minutes ago, tomgreen said:

Many thanks, I'm 75 years old and I have my UK government retirement pension deposited in my Bangkok bank , depending on the currency exchange rate , it works out to around 29, 000.00 Baht a month.

Approx. 350K remitted.  All non-assessable by DTA.  No need to file.

But let's assume you have a weird pension that IS taxable.  You would be over the 60K (unmarried) income threshold and would technically be required to file a return.  You get 60K personal allowance, 190K old fogies allowance (*), and 100K pension deduction.  That coincidentally brings your taxable income to exactly zero.  No tax.

Had your income been higher, your first 150K above 350K would be taxed at 0%.  The next 150K above that would be taxed at 5%.

You can still file and get your interest withholding tax refunded.

(*)  Anyone know if the 190K old-age allowance is added to the 60K personal allowance, giving you 250K, or does the old-age allowance replace the personal allowance?  Do you get both, or only one?

***OPINION ONLY.  NOT ADVICE.  DO NOT TAKE INTERNALLY.***

7 hours ago, kingstonkid said:

Not sure if it is posted anywhere else

 

I just got a notice tht BB is sending out emails about FATCA and the same forms tht Kasikorn did.  

 

Guess it is correct we can expect everyone to get them if you have an account

Is this about FATCA or CRS?

The Kasikorn emails were sent out at the end of January for existing customers to update records if their home tax jurisdiction information had not been entered.  Came about with Thailand implementing CRS.

Shouldn't be FATCA.  Americans have been filling in IRS forms around the world when opening foreign accounts for many years.

10 minutes ago, candide said:

Delect deflect deflect.

It's Russia which invaded Ukraine.

Russia and its proxies never respected the Minsk agreement 

If the signatories don't implement the agreement, what are non-signatories to make of that?  Never implemented, never took deflect.

6 minutes ago, candide said:

If only Russia hadn't not been directly involved in the Donbass from the start so that the Minsk agreements were useless as Russia was not a signatory of the Minsk agreement. You are completely knew sided. The Minsk agreements have never been respected by Russia and its proxies.

 

Gosh, if only Russia hadn't not invaded Ukraine! You also forgot this slight detail! 🤣

Deflect, deflect, deflect!

The Minsk agreements were a sham, never intended to be implemented, were simply killing time while Ukraine killed more Donbass ethnicans.

2 hours ago, candide said:

If only Russia hadn't intervened in Donbass and Donestk, arguing it did not sign the agreement and therefore had no obligation to respect it. 😆

 

BTW, Trump said 3 years ago! 

If only Ukraine hadn't shelled the Donbass for eight years.........

If only Ukraine had implemented the Minsk agreements.

If only Germany and UK hadn't admitted the agreement was just a stalling tactic to get more war materials in place.....

Gosh, if only.

23 minutes ago, candide said:

Is the NYPost still OK for you?

https://nypost.com/2025/02/19/world-news/ukrainians-fear-shocking-trump-claim-could-spur-russia-to-invade-kyiv-is-the-us-still-a-friend/

 

Deny, deny, deny! 😆

So true.  If only they had signed that agreement in Minsk................

39 minutes ago, 3NUMBAS said:

 to help deter Putin’s forces from acting on any hostile intent

Are you sure about that?

Perhaps it's a warning to the Kiev nazi apartheid regime not to conduct their terror operations inside western Europe also.

32 minutes ago, MikeandDow said:

try again  Ukraine  5th from bottom   do you just make up this BS

You're not helping your cause.

"Sure, everyone knows they're corrupt, but only the fifth most corruptedest!"

John Wayne Gacy may be a bad dude, but there are a couple even worse than him, so why not let him out on work release to perform as a clown at your kid's birf'day party?

33 minutes ago, connda said:

"WAR!" 
Yeah, whatever.  If you want it so badly, volunteer and head to the front and put your derriere's where your mouths are. Hatred is so passé too.    ☮️ 🕊️

Would that include 5x deferment Biden, and 4x conscription dodger Zelensky?  I can understand why they think it's safe to send kids into the trenches now.

Even Hitler served honourably at the front.

17 minutes ago, cdemundo said:

This thread is about the risk of losing a lifetime of contributions to the Social Security Fund.

Not hardly.  This is just another entry in the endless spewing of deranged rantings.

Where exactly is the threat of losing "a lifetime of contributions" by auditing payments of benefits?

The actual threat to your benefits is the system imploding sooner than expected due to corruption, fraud and abuse.