Best Links for the Citizenship-based Taxation/Renunciation FUBAR

I just replied very tardily to a very good question left in response to this post, How I Really Feel About Citizenship-based Taxation.  The person wanted to know what exactly were the tax implications of renouncing U.S. citizenship.  The honest answer is that I am aware that there are important tax implications to doing this but I don't really know the particulars - it all depends on each individual's situation.  I did provide a link however to a source of information that I trust and it struck to me as I was typing that this would be a good time to give a few links that I rely on to keep up to date on this topic and FATCA as well.  This list is not exhaustive and I'm sure there are other sites of interest out there but these are the ones I feel very comfortable recommending to you.

You will notice that not one of these sources is a U.S. government website and I find that terrifying.   Clear as mud, they are and what I cannot understand after I have read until my eyes are bleeding, I do not trust.   Perhaps that means I'm the village idiot but since I 'm hearing similar comments from people a lot smarter than I am, I'm inclined to think that there is indeed a "failure to communicate" here.

Hopefully you will find this very modest list useful/helpful.  And please feel free to add more links to the list in the Comments section.

Blogs

These are places to get the facts (or the best interpretation).  These are either first-hand experiences or advice from professionals.  Not a substitute for real personalized legal advice but good for getting a minimum amount of information before you make the call.

Renunciation of U.S. Citizenship:  A Web Guide:  This is where I started many months ago and it remains, I think, a point of departure for anyone delving into this topic for the first time.  It was written by two people who went through the process and it's very clear.  Read it carefully and thoroughly as there are gems hidden in places like the FAQ.  It has a section on the tax implications of renouncing and I suggest that you read that and then go to Phil Hodgen's blog.

Phil Hodgen’s Blog:  The author is an international tax lawyer.  The site is, well, rather dense and there are lots of comments and questions.  Hodgen does a great job answering queries but I would suggest that you just start reading as it is quite likely that your particular question about citizenship-based taxation, renouncing U.S. citizenship, FBARs and the like has already been answered.  This is a good one to subscribe to (Jello-O Shots) as Mr. Hodgen is quite witty, a good writer, and his advice is pertinent and clear.  He is in the process of writing an ebook about renunciation and has a newsletter with draft chapters.  I have looked in vain for the link to sign up for it - if anyone has it, please let me know so I can add it here.

Steven J. Mopsick:  Another lawyer but he was at one time with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS).  Again, this is a fellow who is clear and able to write for a general audience.  He frequently links to articles he has written that are available for free on the Net.  I read them and feel myself progressing from idiot to moron on many subjects and I thank him for the enlightenment.

Note to U.S. Government:  For ideas on how to correct this communication problem you have with Americans Abroad, you have only to READ the comments on the above blogs to see where people are having problems understanding what it is you want.   People are desperate for information and confusion reigns.

Communities

Isaac Brock Society:  Lots of great information on this site and I was originally going to put it under "Blogs" but I honestly think that the real power behind this site is the community and all the people who are willing to share their experiences, post links and organize responses to on-line articles.  It is really remarkable.  Please be aware, however, that the discussion is a free for all - free speech on steroids and folks can say whatever they like and, believe me, they do.  I enjoy it but it is not to everyone's taste.  For another community that is quite good....

Maple Sandbox:  Very similar to Isaac Brock and you'll see many of the same names but they have community standards for what is and isn't acceptable to post on the site.  The Rules are here.

I like both and I have contributed in the past (and hope to do so again in the future health permitting) to the Isaac Brock Society.  They are both good places for people to talk about how they feel about what's going on and I think that's important because...

Note to U.S. Government:  These sites represent the tsunami of fear and anger just reaching America's shores.   No matter that the numbers are few and that the water is only up to your ankles - I think their impact is far greater than you might realize.  I recently posted this on the Sandbox:

But what I see as THE change that IBS and sites like this one have contributed to is the breaking of certain taboos – things we didn’t talk about before because, well, it just wasn’t done. Give up U.S. citizenship? Until very recently it was a rare U.S. citizen abroad willing to even contemplate it in public. It was the big “no no” – the sort of thing that if you even hinted at it at a party some people would fall silent and others would shoot back at you, “Americans never EVER give up their citizenship!” This of course was totally untrue but it was a myth that most of us believed in because we had little or no information to contradict it.

And now we have all these people coming out and saying, “yeah, I gave up my citizenship years ago” or “I’m thinking about it” and giving their personal cost/benefit analysis of the situation. And, guess what? The sky isn’t falling in and the discussions just keep getting franker and more open every day. It is quite the phenomenon.

I think the impact of all this is greater than many realize. A U.S passport had an almost magic aura to it once upon a time. It was perceived as being incredibly valuable and something to hold onto preciously. That’s changing every day in every way as U.S. citizenship is being toppled from its lofty pedestal and becoming just another nice citizenship to have if one is willing to accept some of the downsides (that pesky taxation business).

This may have been inevitable as U.S. relative power declines in the world but I think frank discussions and the willingness of so many to simply renounce is accelerating the slide. It is “rightsizing” with a vengeance. And this makes homelanders very uncomfortable because as much as they like to say sometimes, “don’t let the door hit you on the way out,” the reality is that something they have, are proud of, want to keep, and care deeply about is becoming less valuable. And to the extent that citizenship (and that pretty blue passport) represents membership in a political community, a democratic experiment that began over 200 years ago, the lowering of its perceived value says a lot about the attractiveness of America and its ability to wield soft power in the 21st century.

Twitter

Only one here and it's one I follow religiously.

@FATCA_Fallout:  Best round-up of all the articles on the Net about FATCA, citizenship-based taxation, renunciations and so on by Just Me.  He is a frequent poster at Isaac Brock and participates in so many discussions on many sites that one has to wonder when he gets any sleep.  For his tireless efforts someone should give this man a medal.  I for one am deeply grateful to him for all he's done to bring this issue to the media's attention.  One person can make a difference especially when that person has the persistence of a pit bull. :-)

Any others, messieurs-dames?