you and i just have different beliefs of what the IRS can and can't do. for some reason you think the IRS can just call up any bank and the world and say "hey, we're seizing the funds in account XXXXXXXX."
however, i know the reality. without cooperation from the bank in question, the IRS can't do anything.
and banks who have established secrecy laws do NOT cooperate unless the individual in question is breaking a law in THEIR country or is invovled in some sort of international crime (drug trafficking, money laundering, funding terrorism, etc.) ultimately, it is THE BANK that decides whether to cooperate or not.
if you really think the IRS is going to get cooperation from a bank in luxembourg because they show the bank manager some sort of "evidence" that their american customer didn't pay his taxes on gambling winnings you're out of your mind!
but again, the whole point of this thread wasn't to tell people how to evade taxes. it was to tell them how to keep their money out of reach of the IRS and not even give those assholes a chance to screw with you.
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And as they say - BOOM GOES THE DYNAMITE on any credibility you once had.
I will let your above post speak for itself. Anyone who would take the time to open an offshore account should at least get legal advice from a qualified tax attorney or finance attorney other than me or Christian.
Fortunately for me, I already have and have stacks of documents showing that almost every foreign govt supports the IRS and that there have been numerous seizures of foreign bank accounts just for the asking. The idea that you have to break a law in that country is absurd.
The only type of offshore account that is sheltered from any US govt seizure is what is called an "offshore trust with a purpose". For example, in the Caymans they have these types of accounts and the difference is that the trust is set up for the benefit of a purpose and not a person. They are expensive. You should look in to this and get educated. Why would anyone need this if you could just open an offshore account?
Lets just agree to disagree on the whole thing except to suggest that anyone considering this should get good legal advice.
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