MexConnect.com Forums: General: General Forum: Car registration and state income tax liability: Page 2

Re: [JohnBleazard] Car registration and state income tax liability

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JohnBleazard, it is possible to have your SS check direct deposited to a Mexican bank. I have not done that, and I understand there is a headache amount of paperwork. But it is possible.

When I opened an account with California Commerce Bank (Banamex)in Los Angeles, I was given the option of using my address in Mexico. I chose to use a friend's address in LA because I didn't want my bank records going through the Mexican postal service. The clerk knew I was using a friend's address, and did not object. And that was after 9/11.

Rolly Pirate

Jun 29, 2006, 12:35 AM

Post #27 of 58 (4042 views)

Re: [Rolly] Car registration and state income tax liability

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I find it a little bizarre that some of you are so anxious to relieve yourselves of citizenship in a country that so many are trying desperately to get into... Aside from that, it is downright dumb to burn the bridges you think you don't need today when it isn't necessary. You are citizens of the USA no matter where you live and you have the right to establish a state of domicile as the term is used legally and to keep all of your financial, voting and other business (such as drivers license and car registration) in that state. If you pick South Dakota because it is easy then so what? You are not defrauding anyone, or lying about your citizenship or doing anything except not paying taxes to a state that you do not live in, California in most cases. Frankly, I also find it beyond dumb to so sever all ties that you have no way to establish a bank account, get a credit card, get auto insurance or vote in a country that you had the good fortune to be born in. There are legal ways to do all of the above so why would you not do it? I can think of no valid reason to not maintain at least a mailing address and bank account in the US if you are a citizen. All of this whining about the Patriot Act is a bit over the top as well, consider that you can't even open a bank account in Mexico without considerable hassle and documentation and then put that next to your complaints about US banks needing to establish that you are a legal resident and think again. This kind of paperwork and verification is normal in most countries in the world, it wasn't the case in the US before we were attacked by a bunch of religious nuts but it is the case now, get over it.

Jonna - Mérida, Yucatán

Jun 29, 2006, 7:40 AM

Post #28 of 58 (4007 views)

Re: [sfmacaws] Car registration and state income tax liability

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"I find it a little bizarre that some of you are so anxious to relieve yourselves of citizenship in a country that so many are trying desperately to get into..."
__________________________________________________________________

I didn't read that anyone was trying to renounce U.S. citizenship. Where did you see it?

People are not desperately trying to get into the U.S. to enjoy the system of government. They are seeking the means to economic betterment. If the U.S. were as mired in poverty as Mexico, everyone would be staying put instead of undertaking a dangerous journey.

Bitching and moaning about the newest bureaucratic red tape is as American as the Fourth of July. Supposedly, we are still free to do that. Or it could get us on the newest "no fly" list.

(This post was edited by Gringal on Jun 29, 2006, 7:54 AM)

morgaine7

Jun 29, 2006, 10:18 AM

Post #29 of 58 (3978 views)

Re: [Gringal] Car registration and state income tax liability

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Maybe some posts got deleted. Not sure how, but I know I read one that disappeared after I refreshed my screen.

Kate

NEOhio1

Jun 29, 2006, 11:26 AM

Post #30 of 58 (3964 views)

Re: [morgaine7] Car registration and state income tax liability

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Jonna, you are right, it is a bit boggling to read how strident the fortunate US citizens are in wanting to cut all ties to the US. And since there are obviously ways to legally move yourself around to an advantageous position to have your cake (vote in a democratic nation) and eat it too (live in a nation trying on democracy to see how it fits which I am very interested in watching over the next few years) there isn't any reason not to do what is in your situations best interests.

I just don't want to pay Ohio tax on income as a cost of voting in the national election. I have a rather conservative bent politically, but a big heart, and believe it is important that I throw that lever, punch that card, or blacken that circle and I want some say in the direction my federal tax monies will be used.

Frankly you have to admire Clay County South Dakota for putting its citizens first by offering up the opportunity to wear their license plate in exchange for your money without the need to provide public services to you. Pretty smart in my book. they obviously know that laws are written to tell you what you can't do, not what you can.

I think it is JohnBleazard in an earlier post who wants to eliminate all connections..and that his choice..and to that effect I suggest he go to Wachovia Bank internet site, it doesn't appear they have any bank buildings in CA, just like they don't have any in Ohio. They may have investment centers, but that is not the same as the banking branch of the business. Set up an internet only account with auto-deposit, get a couple of debit cards and be set up for when he goes to Mexico. Opt out of the hard copy statement option after a month or two, when he leaves for Mexico give them his sisters address as a permanent address and his Mexico address as his physical location address, and voila - no more CA ties.

Dlyman, it is possible for you to have your wife's property divided into an A and a B address at the post office, ask them how to accomplish it. Get a post office box there and sign up for their new forwarding service to your Texas mailbox. Use the address to get an internet account same as John. Goodluck, be creative, but don't break any laws.

PS - According to Ohio the existance of a bank safety deposit box indicates residency - the intent to return thingy. Geez!

Jun 29, 2006, 1:10 PM

Post #31 of 58 (3947 views)

Re: [Gringal] Car registration and state income tax liability

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Post:
"I find it a little bizarre that some of you are so anxious to relieve yourselves of citizenship in a country that so many are trying desperately to get into..."
__________________________________________________________________

I didn't read that anyone was trying to renounce U.S. citizenship. Where did you see it?

Good Point Gringal. After reading your comment, I went back
to determine who this ungrateful fiend is who was so anxious to renounce his or her citizenship and I was also unable to find any such post.

As for The Patriot Act, it is an abomination passed into law by xenophobic imbeciles who don´t have the guts to face real issues but feel the need to pass simplistic legislation making things more difficult for powerless citizens while still catering to filthy rich Saudis whose oil money (at least what is left after funding terrorism) is needed to fund their obscene and irresponsible borrowings. I am a U. S. citizen with a spotless credit record over a lifetime spent as a commercial banker yet I cannot open a new U.S. bank account because I live in Mexico and refuse to lie on an application illegally pretending to reside in the U.S. Meanwhile, I continue to hold extensive bank accounts and credit cards in the U.S. because I already had them when I moved here. and my bankers cannot kiss my butt enough. Tell me how that makes sense?

I repeat, kafkaesque was the right term for the U.S. these days. Things will get worse.

(This post was edited by Bubba on Jun 29, 2006, 1:15 PM)

Jun 29, 2006, 10:14 PM

Post #32 of 58 (3900 views)

Re: [Bubba] Car registration and state income tax liability

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I didn't use the word renounce because it has a specific, legal meaning when talking about citizenship. What I was talking about is this desire to distance yourself and sever all your ties to the country of your origen. Things like not voting, not maintaining an address that you can use for the little things in life like bank accounts and driver's licenses. I think it is odd and I think it is a form of self-loathing. You are who you are and part of that includes the culture and country where you were raised, if you hate that so much it says something about how you feel about yourself. Most people I've met from Mexico and from Europe may not like the policies or the govt of the US but they are also amazed at the self-flaggelation of some US citizens who are so eager to trash their own country. They find it odd as well and would never put their own country down in that way. When you do this you are saying more about yourself and your self-image than you are about the US.

Jonna - Mérida, Yucatán

Ron Pickering W3FJW

Jun 29, 2006, 11:27 PM

Post #33 of 58 (3895 views)

Re: [sfmacaws] Car registration and state income tax liability

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"people I've met from Mexico and from Europe may not like the policies or the govt of the US but they are also amazed at the self-flaggelation of some US citizens who are so eager to trash their own country. They find it odd as well and would never put their own country down in that way. When you do this you are saying more about yourself and your self-image than you are about the US."

Good point Jonna. Negativism is, it seems, getting to be a way of life anymore. Especially for those who want to distance themselves as far as possible from their "former" life. It makes no sense to me to want to give up "everything" to ones own detriment and to distance oneself from what one perceives to be something one has no control over, so therefore one wants to have nothing whatsoever to do with it. Granted, policies of ones country may not agree with ones way of thinking on a particular subject or subjects, however that does not give one the right to "bash" ones own country. Most of the time it is easier to just run away, complain about how it has been to anyone willing to listen, and/or bury ones head in the sand which incidently, Mexico has a lot of. Sand, I mean. It is refreshing in many ways to have you and, yes, Bubba, and a few others to add a little levity and sanity to a forum which might otherwise be seen or felt to be a "now that I'm here, I can knock NOB" forum.

I really hope I'm making a bit of sense here in spite of the fact that I'm finishing up my Tequila from my trip SOB in March, but I just felt I had to add my 2 cents worth after reading your post.
I bitch about my country also, and in spite of the fact that it is my plan to move SOB, doesn't mean I'm going to alienate myself and burn all my bridges from my previous life. Hell, lets face it, I helped make my country what it is as did we all. None of us can pass the buck on that one. So we best learn to live with it no matter where we live.

Have a great tomorrow,
Ron
Getting older and still not down here.

slats

Jun 30, 2006, 7:35 AM

Post #34 of 58 (3870 views)

Re: [sfmacaws] Car registration and state income tax liability

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Quote

Things like not voting, not maintaining an address that you can use for the little things in life like bank accounts and driver's licenses. I think it is odd and I think it is a form of self-loathing.

Having read these forums for a little while now, I certainly don't find this behaviour "odd." If anything, it seems to be rather mainstream. As if climate, money, and disenfranchisement are the three reasons for moving SoB.

It's hugely common in NY, where I'll be living for years. I hear all the time from friends and co-workers about how much they hate it here, and how they have no interest in moving to Florida, either, because it's become NY South. As opposed to North Carolina, which is becoming NY Sorta-south. Me? I love NY, but I'll have no problem leaving the high costs and winters behind when I retire.

US politics? Seems to me that this country is more polarized than ever. There's no compromise here anymore. It's now about "winning" some ideological battle, instead of doing what's right. There's a lot of resentment towards America in the rest of the world today, and "resentment" is putting it mildly. I understand those Americans who don't favor this country's current policies looking to distance themselves from them. That's only natural. I've voted in every election, every year, since I turned 18, but I've grown more and more politically cynical (can you tell?) as I've gotten older, and I'll make no special effort to vote at all if/when I make Mexico my retirement home. I know I sound a little grumpy about it, but I'm really just getting less and less political as I get older. It's something I'm happy about. Kinda like when I stopped following baseball and suddenly had time to do a lot more of what I love to do in the summer! Like baseball, politics is a waste of my time. Show business for ugly people.

I'll maintain NoB bank accounts, but no NY address. I pay close to $6K property taxes on a quarter acre here, and that's actually considered to be low! Then I have one of the highest state income tax rates on top of that. No thanks. I'll cut every tie I have here, if that's what I have to do, to hold onto my money. That's self-preservation, not self-loathing.

And I like the idea of getting a Mexican driver's license, too, if just to confuse the NoB police when I come back to visit. Or maybe I'll do the SD thing, with my accent making me sound like I'm a member of the infamous Dakota mafia. Whatever I have to do.

Jun 30, 2006, 8:05 AM

Post #35 of 58 (3859 views)

Re: [sfmacaws] Car registration and state income tax liability

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"Things like not voting, not maintaining an address that you can use for the little things in life like bank accounts and driver's licenses. "
_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Would you please explain how to "maintain an address" legally, for those purposes, without perjuring youself in the process? I am referring to full time expats who moved to Mexico, for whatever reasons.

This problem has nothing to do with self-loathing or hatred for the U.S. on my part, certainly. I'm bitching and moaning because there is no rational, legal process for a full time expat to do all the things you mention. I don't have a convenient family member to use, and have no actual residence anywhere in the United States of America.

My drivers' license required that I come in for a test. To do this, I would have to spend more than I can afford to fly or drive to CA. Then, they would have wanted a current address. In state, of course. It IS, all those "little things" that leave us scratching our heads in frustration. I now have a Mexican drivers' license, what else? My car is homeless, wandering with expired plates. Too young to be nationalized. Again, renewal requires smog certification (in CA) and an address. The South Dakota solution seems peculiar, at the least. And probably temporary. Texas, where my mail is sent, wants more than a postal box to change residency. I could go on, but that will do.

This is a long, long thread for a reason. None of this has anything whatsoever to do with loving one's native land...or not. I see it as being about plain frustration. If you're a person who lives in Mexico part time, you don't have a problem. In an ideal world, I'd have a cabin in CA for a getaway, but this is reality and I'm fortunate to have one nice home.... in Mexico.

The people on these forums have some very strong political biases. You have taken the opportunity to express yours. If we all got into that, this would deteriorate into the usual shouting match until the lock dropped.
Love of country means radically different things to different people. I would like to have the chance to express my opinion in an absentee ballot.

(This post was edited by Gringal on Jun 30, 2006, 9:09 AM)

Jun 30, 2006, 8:52 AM

Post #36 of 58 (3845 views)

Re: [Gringal] Car registration and state income tax liability

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Gringal:

Jonna was just funnin´ us with all that self-loathing stuff. I can assure you that there is no love lost between Jonna and the San Francisco County whose sherriff´s office provided her with a good living for years or the ultra-liberal Marin County where she maintains or maintained a residence and wastes her time voting with the Falwellian Republicans in an area where it is a foregone conclusion the liberal Democrats will win every time . The town she lived in in Marin County was sort of a San Francisco cop/deputy sheriff island residential sanctuary in a sea of commie pinko rich suburbanites.

I, on the other hand, having been born and raised in the segregated and deeply racist south of the 1940s through the mid-1960s couldn´t wait to get out of that hell hole and make my way to the Haight Ashbury by way of Santa Monica, Hollywood and Berkeley.

My mistake is that I eventually ended up in middle age in the environs of North Beach/Russian Hill in perhaps the hippest part of San Francisco only to leave there for the incredibly boring rural-chic areas of the California Wine Country as a banker to all those phony wine growers and assorted hangers-on and, by God, when I finally was able to get out of there and sluff off a huge mortgage, property tax obligation and a $700 a month electric bill to say nothing of a California state income tax obligation I could not get to Mexico fast enough and I have never looked back.

Jonna, whom I consider to be a friend, and Bubba have some things in common but self-loathing ain´t one of them.

As for California, well it had its place in my life for about 35 years and the opportunities we found there provided us with a good time and the resources to move to Mexico and live well indeed. When I first headed for L.A. in 1966, I felt like Chuck Berry. I excerpt with apologies to Chuck:

Left my home in Montgomery, Alabama
California on my Mind
Caught that Midnight Flyer out of Birmingham
Smoking into New Orleans
Woke up high over Albuquerque
On a jet to the Promised Land
Swing low sweet chariot, come down easy
Taxi to the terminal zone, Cut your engines, cool your wings
And let me make it to the telephone
Los Angeles give me Montgomery, Alabama
545509
Tell the folks back there this is the Promised Land calling and the poor boy is on the line.

Then it was Wine & Wink at the Strand Bar in Manhattan Beach but I got tired of that after a while.

I´ll take Mexico where I can hate myself in the 70 degree sunshine all year long for a fraction of what it would cost me to gaze at the San Francisco summer fog day after day.

(This post was edited by Bubba on Jun 30, 2006, 11:30 AM)

Jun 30, 2006, 10:27 AM

Post #37 of 58 (3813 views)

Re: [Bubba] Car registration and state income tax liability

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If Jonna was funnin' on that one, what comes forth when she's serious?!

Good grief, Bubba - is there a single place in California that we have not both lived in some strange kind of parallel existence? The wine and wink in Manhattan Beach was the last straw. Did you miss out on Laguna Beach? Maybe that's one.

And thank hevvins for California - where we expats made enough on our various adventures to live in the Mexican sunshine and eat well. However, I do agree that the Golden State, once it has its hands on you and your wallet, is loath to let go. Like a clinging mother, she expects "womb rent" forever. I don't wanna.

El Príncipe

Jun 30, 2006, 8:34 PM

Post #38 of 58 (3764 views)

Re: [NEOhio1] Car registration and state income tax liability

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When I first expatriated myself from the United States, nearly thirty years ago, I took legal counsel on this issue. Here is what I was told:

You are a citizen of the United States and a legal resident of the state in which you were born, unless and until you remove yourself to another state and establish yourself there. When you take up residence in a foreign country, you remain a citizen of the United States and a legal resident of the state where you were resident before your expatriation. The concept of an American citizen without a state of residence does not exist, and your state of residence cannot be changed by mail. [‘State’ includes the District of Columbia and American overseas territories.]

It seemed logical to me thirty years ago, and it seems logical to me now. I believe that in the unlikely event of a legal showdown between an expatriate citizen and the state where he last legally resided the state would win and various mail order arrangements with other states, entered into after expatriation, would be shown to be no more than simple attempts to avoid payment of taxes.

Happily, I was a resident of Florida at the time of my expatriation, and I have maintained that link. In 1982, after I had accepted a position with a California corporation, the revenue authorities of that estimable republic mounted a sting operation against me and certain other officers of the corporation, but to no avail. The need for American vehicle registration has long since faded away, but I continue to maintain a bank account and a residence address in Florida. And I have safely navigated through the minefields of hanging chads to register my vote every two years.

Best regards.

Jun 30, 2006, 11:09 PM

Post #39 of 58 (3744 views)

Re: [Gringal] Car registration and state income tax liability

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I wasn't really 'funnin' about my opinion of people who are eager to put down the country of their origin.

I should perhaps have said that not making arrangements for things like bank accounts and credit cards and vehicle/driver registration shows poor planning. I think it would be an important item in anyone's plans to become an expatriot. Certainly it is important to many people here as this topic comes up all the time. The previous post succintly stated what I have also been told, you are a resident of the last state you lived in before leaving the country. If you don't want to be a resident of California then you should make arrangements to become a resident of another state prior to moving SOB. If you have a problem with something in relation to your rights as a citizen then I would think a call to the American Embassy would be a first step.

Although I am in the US for half the year, I am not immune to these problems because I do not have a residence that stays in one place. As a fulltime RVer, I live in my motorhome and my home is where I park it. That causes all sorts of problems with various bureaucracies and I have spent way more time than I would like to trying to get some office cog to straighten out my car insurance, health insurance, voting rights, etc. The one place that hasn't caused me any problems - so far - is the California DMV. They list my address in Texas on everything and send my DL renewal there as well. After 5 years, Kaiser just decided that I don't live in their coverage area and I'm in the middle of fixing that as well. Sometimes life is a hassle and if you live in any way outside the box then it will be a bigger hassle to keep these details of modern living straight. I think my life on wheels is worth the hassle and I would assume that most ex-pats feel the same. I knew about these possible hassles before I hit the road and I made plans to deal with them. Because I did some research and made my arrangements ahead of time I have not really had a lot of problems and the ones I have had have been fixed eventually. Do I blame these problems on the USA or Bush or black helicopters? No, I realize they are how the world functions these days and wishing for the "good old days" when there were real people answering the phone who listened to your particular problem and spent whatever time it took to fix it is pointless. You can still find that kind of service but it takes more patience, I'm retired and I have the time and the patience for things that really matter and I just don't sweat the things that don't. Ni modo.

Jonna - Mérida, Yucatán

Jul 1, 2006, 9:05 AM

Post #40 of 58 (3710 views)

Re: [sfmacaws] Car registration and state income tax liability

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I didn't think you were funnin'. I thought you were confusing issues; that of experiencing the frustration of bureacratic hassles with having a beef with the mothership. The good old U.S.A. is what it's always been, and California is just the greedy mother that she's always been. She also giveth. No problem. It is my own fault for failing to get filthy rich.

I get the impression you are "blaming the victim". It's not the system, it's "poor planning"? Many people writing here were good planners and did what they could to make their expat lives work, including me. The catch-22 situations remain. There is a hole in the system and since we are not a large voting block or generous contributors to the lobbyist faction, we will suffer the consequences. Those who can't deal with life in a portable dwelling, can't be comfortable with perjuring themselves and can't change the system are not going to be able to solve the impossible by exercising patience.

Those contemplating the expat life would be well advised to read this thread and get a clear picture of the situation they will encounter. If they can plan around it, they should. "Living" at a relative or friend's address might be the way for some, at least for a while. Or until the relative moves, and the friend no longer wants to bother.

Happy trails!

NEOhio1

Jul 1, 2006, 9:26 AM

Post #41 of 58 (3700 views)

Re: [Gringal] Car registration and state income tax liability

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Boy, this has been an interesting civics lession, roaming sites and calling for info I have learned a lot. For our particular circumstance and what we want to accomplish, no paying state income taxes and voting, the second paragraph below "may not intend to return to ohio" confirms what I was told, that while at the Secy of States office to have documents apostilled we should register for an absentee ballot for FEDERAL elections.

I am often put off here on the forum by the level of anti-American sentiment so over the years I have learned to overlook it for the most part, and glean the information between the lines. Reading about the experiences of others always set my mind moving about how it applies to us, and that is good, and I thank you all for it.

Best, Anita

Overseas Citizens: Generally, citizens residing outside the U.S. are eligible to vote in federal elections in the state in which they resided immediately before leaving the U.S. if they were, or could have, registered to vote in that state while residing there, or currently are eligible under state law to vote in that state.

Note: Federal law does not require any state to extend voting eligibility to a person who never has resided in that state on the basis that one or both of the person’s parents formerly resided in that state.

An eligible citizen may vote a federal ballot (in 2006, candidates for U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives) from the Ohio precinct in which the citizen resided immediately before leaving the U.S. to live in a foreign country, even though that citizen may no longer have ties to, and may not intend to return to, Ohio. The overseas citizen must register to vote and/or request an absentee ballot using the current Federal Post Card Application (“FPCA”) in either the cardstock or online version. The online FPCA can be downloaded from www.fvap.gov.
A U.S. citizens living abroad may be eligible to vote a regular Ohio ballot if the citizen maintains a qualifying voting address in Ohio and has lived outside Ohio less than four consecutive years.

AND from the fvap.gov site:

Will I be taxed by my last state or territory of residence if I vote absentee?

Exercising your right to vote in elections for Federal offices only, does not affect the determination of residence or domicile for purposes of any tax imposed under Federal, state, or local law. Voting in an election for Federal office only, may not be used as the sole basis to determine residency for the purpose of imposing state and local taxes. If you claim a particular state or territory as your residence and have other ties with that state or territory in addition to voting, then you may be liable for state and local taxation, depending upon the laws of that particular state or territory. Consult legal counsel for information on probable tax obligations.

Jul 1, 2006, 9:45 AM

Post #42 of 58 (3694 views)

Re: [Gringal] Car registration and state income tax liability

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No, I'm not confusing issues, I'm talking about separate issues that came up in this thread. One the trashing of the US and blaming all the sins of the world on it and two the failure to do adequate research prior to moving out of the country. There are provisions for registering your car when it will be out of the country - even California has those. The DL is probably more difficult because the assumption is that if you are out of the country then you are not driving in California, but even that is doable. The tax situation also takes some planning, even if it means that you go to South Dakota and rent an apt for a month and then move from there out of the country. If that is what makes you feel more comfortable, there it is. If you don't need that level of comfort you could have arranged for an address, voting, car and driver registration in South Dakota without renting an apartment. Whatever, it is all doable. It does however take some effort as the number of people doing this is small compared to the entire population so the means are not widely known.

Jonna - Mérida, Yucatán

Jul 1, 2006, 10:01 AM

Post #43 of 58 (3687 views)

Re: [sfmacaws] Car registration and state income tax liability

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Everything is "doable" if you rub enough money on it. Time, too.

And we can agree that persons blaming everything on the government need their glasses cleaned. Nothing is that simple.

On that note, I give up. Happy Fourth of July.

Jul 1, 2006, 10:31 AM

Post #44 of 58 (3676 views)

Re: [Gringal] Car registration and state income tax liability

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Yup! We can agree on all that. A Happy 4th to you as well.

Jonna
... whose home is currently parked on a bluff overlooking a resevoir in the wilds of central Wyoming. The lightening storm that ran across the horizon last night was better than any fireworks.

Jonna - Mérida, Yucatán

Jul 1, 2006, 1:01 PM

Post #45 of 58 (3648 views)

Re: [El Príncipe] Car registration and state income tax liability

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That was a thought provoking post El Principe. I did some further research on the internet and feel the definition of residency will not effect us for a number of reasons but it would be prudent for people retiring in a foreign country to make sure they are not inadvertently retaining residency in a state in which they had intended to end residency for whatever reason.

Regarding posters who harp on the subject of patriotic obligations arising from the fact of where one happened to have been born, I must say that, if there is one event in the lives of us all over which we have no direct or indirect influence one way or another, it is the accident of nature that causes us to pop out of the womb in any particular geographical location. The notion that the chance of birth renders one obligated to certain local tribal or political affiliations or social values is primitive at best. That accident of birth didn´t stop my antecedents from fighting in the Civil War to preserve slavery but my birth in the same clan at the same point in time would not have obligated me to fight for that cause as well although the patriots in my clan would have considered me a traitor should I have elected to refuse to participate in the hostilities. Countless atrocities have been committed in the name of mindless patriotism and religious affiliation. On the other hand, it would not be prudent to mess with my property or that of my clan unless you intend to prevail.

It´s confusing being a human being, no?

punta4

Jul 1, 2006, 1:08 PM

Post #46 of 58 (3647 views)

Re: [dlyman6500] Apostilles and voter registration

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dylman6500-

My husband's retirement will be from the CA state Public Employee's Retirement System (PERS) and he inquired about the state tax issue in preparation for our retirement to Baja Sur/Nicaragua. He was told by PERS that they will deduct the Ca tax from his pension checks and when we will file our taxes we'll claim "non-resident" status and (should)get reimbursed for the amount each year.

We'll see how smoothly that goes in a couple of years.

El Príncipe

Jul 1, 2006, 5:09 PM

Post #47 of 58 (3621 views)

Re: [Bubba] Car registration and state income tax liability

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It is confusing indeed, Bubba, and the workings of chance can be disconcerting and grossly ‘unfair’. But Mama never promised that life would be fair, and it surely isn’t. Meanwhile, it seems unlikely that anyone posting here will be prosecuted by any American state for failure to attend to legal obligations as regards taxes, registrations, and related issues. It is important to be clever and plan ahead – but that is already well known – and remain calm. A measure of reticence will also serve well; after all, sweet but talkative Auntie Alyce back in Petaluma doesn’t really need to know everything that her favourite nephew gets up to, does she?

Be well.

Jul 1, 2006, 5:34 PM

Post #48 of 58 (3616 views)

Re: [El Príncipe] Car registration and state income tax liability

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Good point, El. Bubba´s extended family including talkative Aunties, soused siblings and demented cousins whether through blood lines or marriage , all live in Alabama or the Loire Valley in France. Bubba left nary an asset, relative nor even a wet spot in California to serve as a connection to his past life there so is impervious to entreaties from the state income tax functionaries for a cut of his retirement nut. Those of you who still have a connection of any sort to any U.S. state, watch your rear and pay close attention to severing ties to your former state of residence when retiring to Mexico or any other foreign country.

(This post was edited by Bubba on Jul 1, 2006, 5:36 PM)

Jul 1, 2006, 5:55 PM

Post #49 of 58 (3609 views)

Re: [Bubba] Car registration and state income tax liability

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Quote

The notion that the chance of birth renders one obligated to certain local tribal or political affiliations or social values is primitive at best ... Countless atrocities have been committed in the name of mindless patriotism and religious affiliation. On the other hand, it would not be prudent to mess with my property or that of my clan unless you intend to prevail.

So perhaps those rebel forebears have handed on to you some of their courage and determination to fight whether it is for a good or bad cause. I think it is the birthing that counts but it is also the culture you are born into that shapes you. What you do with that cultural input is the measure of who you are but to denigrate your culture is to denigrate yourself and the root from which you formed.

I try not to second guess my ancestors, I think that they made the best decisions they could with what they had. I respect them whether I believe as they did or not. I am a patriot and I believe that I owe a great deal to those who came before me. Certainly I have had opportunities that would not have been available elsewhere. As a woman, that is particularly true. I may think I am one smart cookie but I have no illusions that I would be who I am had I been born in a small village in Oaxaca. The opportunities I have had were handed to me by a lot of brave men and women in the USA and I am proud of them and grateful to them.

Happy 4th of July!

Jonna - Mérida, Yucatán

(This post was edited by sfmacaws on Jul 1, 2006, 5:57 PM)

nfabq

Jul 1, 2006, 6:36 PM

Post #50 of 58 (3602 views)