“Just the facts, ma’am” … Introducing the Fix The Tax Treaty Wiki!

I was once involved in a contentious activity involving a polarised stakeholder group comprised of big business, activists, regulators and government representatives.   Despite all parties agreeing to fact-based outcomes, I observed “the facts” changed depending on the party involved and decision makers were often presented with inconsistent, confusing and unverifiable information even by different members within the same faction.    At times, I was contacted by policy makers or media with questions and frustratingly could not immediately respond as the information was not at my fingertips.

The lessons I learned from this were if you want to affect change, you must gather your supporting evidence (the “case for change“) early and it must be verifiable and readily accessible.

Continue reading ““Just the facts, ma’am” … Introducing the Fix The Tax Treaty Wiki!”

How can they do that?

Have you opened a bank or investment account lately? Were you asked about other citizenships? Place of birth? Since mid-2014 Australian financial institutions have been ferreting out US Persons. At most institutions, every new account holder is asked these questions. And, if you are found to be a US Person, you must complete a form W-9 (or equivalent) disclosing your US connection and Social Security Number. This data will be sent to the ATO, who will forward it on to the IRS.

Think about that.

Private Australian financial information of Australian citizens and permanent residents is being sent to a foreign government.

How can they do that? Do they really have the authority to send private financial data to the IRS?
Continue reading “How can they do that?”