Bern says signing seen as “positive signal” by the US for sorting out past banking problems BERN, SWITZERLAND – Switzerland and the United States signed the Fatca tax accord in Bern Thursday morning 14 February, a day after the Federal Council gave the green light for State Secretary Michael Ambuehl to do so. “Initialled on [...]
Overseas Vote Foundation wants to hear from Americans, post-election
November 16, 2012 by
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – The Overseas Vote Foundation, a group that aims to help US citizens vote back home, is asking Americans to help improve the system. The foundation has set up an online questionnaire that takes 10 minutes to fill out, it says, designed to give them information to improve arrangements for voting in the [...]
US presidential election: overseas Americans band together to demand rights (update)
September 7, 2012 by
Report on abuses sent to all members of Congress, Obama administration Update: The report is available online on the web site of The Americans in Switzerland Working Group Update 11:50 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – A new report by several American citizen organizations outside the US is being used to give overseas citizens a voice in the [...]
Swiss banks step up efforts to identify, quarantine or avoid US citizens
June 21, 2012 by
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Americans living in Switzerland have been abuzz for months with stories about fellow citizens who were starting to have trouble with their Swiss banks closing accounts. Some of the first stories were shared at a Town Hall meeting at Webster University in 2011, organized by American Citizens Abroad. Rumours and innuendo have [...]
US, Swiss launch Fatca negotiations: US taxpayers, Swiss banks affected
June 21, 2012 by
BERN, SWITZERLAND – The United States and Switzerland jointly issued a declaration Thursday on their agreement to start negotiations on the implementation of Fatca (Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act ). Fatca, which is strongly opposed by some groups of Americans, notably American Citizens Abroad, is US tax legislation that goes into effect in 2014. In [...]
Bern protest Sat. night prompts US to send warning to citizens
June 2, 2012 by
BERN, SWITZERLAND – The US Embassy in Bern is alerting American citizens to avoid the centre of Bern this evening, following a police alert for an unauthorized gathering. The alert notes: “Swiss Police advise that an unauthorized gathering of at least 7,000 individuals will occur in the Old Town and main train station areas of [...]
PostFinance’s restrictions will extend beyond Americans in June
April 17, 2012 by
Americans must already sign papers they are tax-compliant BERN, SWITZERLAND – The new head of the financial arm of SwissFinance, Hansruedi Koeng, told Le Temps newspaper (registration required) in an article published 17 April that the bank will start requiring all non-Swiss account holders to sign a paper stating that the funds in their accounts [...]
Reuters columnist encourages US to simplify tax system
April 11, 2012 by
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – David Cay Johnston, Reuters columnist, says he thinks the chances are only one in 84,000 that the US Congress will simplify the US tax system, but he’s nevertheless taking on the admirable job of pointing out to them the wisdom of doing so. Johnston’s blog post was sparked by a federal government [...]
If you read what the NY Times says about Swiss banks, take time to read what the Swiss say (update)
February 12, 2012 by
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – This is an appeal to intelligent readers, and I know there are many out there, to at least reflect on the other side of the story if you’ve read the New York Times editorial published Friday 10 February on US pressure on Swiss banks. It’s a remarkably trite piece of writing, with [...]
EC hails proposed deal to catch tax evaders between US and 5 EU gov’ts
February 9, 2012 by
Britain, France, Germany, Italy Spain: US citizens’ bank data in exchange for US reporting some of their citizens’ bank accounts Overseas Americans already caught in crosshairs GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – A proposed deal that is being hailed by the six countries involved as a step forward in their fight against international tax evasion ironically borrows from [...]
