ב' לחודש השישי תשע"ד
Posted on August 27, 2014 by Eric in Issues regarding US persons abroad
Confirming reports passed on by commenters at the Isaac Brock Society, DiploPundit points to a State Department interim rule just placed on public inspection for printing in tomorrow’s Federal Register, which raises the fee for renunciation of U.S. citizenship (but apparently not relinquishment) to US$2,350 [from the current fee of US$450], more than twenty times the average level in other high-income countries. As they state:
[D]emand for the service has increased dramatically, consuming far more consular officer time and resources, as reflected in the 2012 Overseas Time Survey and increased workload data. Because the Department believes there is no public benefit or other reason for setting this fee below cost, the Department is increasing this fee to reflect the full cost of providing the service. Therefore the increased fee reflects both the increased cost of the provision of service as well as the determination to now charge the full cost.The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that “No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor denied the right to change his nationality”, while the Expatriation Act of 1868 says that renunciation of citizenship is “a natural and inherent right of all people” and that “any declaration, instruction, opinion, order, or decision of any officers of this government which restricts, impairs, or questions the right of expatriation, is hereby declared inconsistent with the fundamental principles of this government”.
As of press time, the State Department has not yet commented on whether it sees “public benefit” in other human rights such as freedom of election or freedom of marriage, or whether anyone seriously believes that charging people a month’s salary to get a ballot paper or a marriage certificate would not restrict or impair those rights. (cont.)
Esser Agaroth (2¢):
The rest of the article contains interesting details regarding "relinquishing of citizenship," as well as the inner workings of the U. S. State Department. I recommend reading it, in order to elaborate the general information provided above.
I wonder if the U. S. government and/or its State Department is
running scared. Is it afraid of looking bad because of the rising renunciation numbers? Perhaps it believes that it can
curtail this through an increasing the renunciation fee as a deterrent.
As I have written previously, I renounced my U. S. citizenship this spring at the Consulate in Jerusalem. I paid the $450 fee. However, since I paid in Israeli sheqqels, I was forced to pay more due to the sheqqel-dollar rate (3.6:1) posted on the Consulate’s website, rather that the real rate of 3.47:1. This may sound nit-picky, but I do not like the idea of paying even a penny more to the U. S. government, or to any other government for that matter.
It took a couple of weeks to get my certificate. When I was told that I had to come back in a week after some “time for thought and reflection,” I asked the vice consul to show me where this was written, that this was the law. She said she said it was just State Dept. policy. I was later told by another official that if I had brought a lawyer, I could have pressed the matter to get it all done in one visit. (sigh)
These are only two examples of the shenanigans propagated by the representatives of our "democratically-elected leaders" (eyes rolling).
Now, it appears that the U. S. State Department will be raising the fee by almost 500% for the "right to change nationality."
Groucho Marx apparently said, "I refuse to join a club that would have me as a member."
Well, personally, I refuse to a club which does not allow me to leave, even if it was never my choice to join it in the first place.
"Clubs" like these only possess the authority they possess, because we have allowed them to possess it.
As I have written previously, I renounced my U. S. citizenship this spring at the Consulate in Jerusalem. I paid the $450 fee. However, since I paid in Israeli sheqqels, I was forced to pay more due to the sheqqel-dollar rate (3.6:1) posted on the Consulate’s website, rather that the real rate of 3.47:1. This may sound nit-picky, but I do not like the idea of paying even a penny more to the U. S. government, or to any other government for that matter.
It took a couple of weeks to get my certificate. When I was told that I had to come back in a week after some “time for thought and reflection,” I asked the vice consul to show me where this was written, that this was the law. She said she said it was just State Dept. policy. I was later told by another official that if I had brought a lawyer, I could have pressed the matter to get it all done in one visit. (sigh)
These are only two examples of the shenanigans propagated by the representatives of our "democratically-elected leaders" (eyes rolling).
Now, it appears that the U. S. State Department will be raising the fee by almost 500% for the "right to change nationality."
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| Groucho Marx |
Well, personally, I refuse to a club which does not allow me to leave, even if it was never my choice to join it in the first place.
"Clubs" like these only possess the authority they possess, because we have allowed them to possess it.
As I've said before, the US is in terminal decline and nothing can save it. I believe the US government is very angry and concerned about growing numbers of Americans renouncing their citizenship.
ReplyDeleteThere is no greater threat to the American people than the American government.
Anyway, are you familiar with the website "Srugim" at all. They are pretty mamlachti, no? They recently featured an editorial expressing glee over the kibbutzniks in the south being driven from their homes as revenge for the expulsion from the Gaza settlements. It warmed my heart to see even die hard state loyalist attack our real enemies for once.